Sketches 


$B    273    77b 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Class 

•  • 


rrJ 


RECORD    OF 


Initiated  in  Rank  of  Page 


Proved  in  Rank  of  Esquire 


Charged  in  Rank  oj  Knight 

in—  -Lodge  No 


Grand  Domain  of 


Let  nothing  swezve  you  ftom 
tfye  line  of  Pythian  duty" 


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tion  of  a 
of    Orego: 
work,    an< 
memory  hj 
find  that 
ness,  as  t) 


Clemans  &  *Webb 

Publishers  of 

Pythian  Sketches 

22O  Copp  Bldg. 

Brother  Knights 
of 


Los  Angeles,  Cal. 


Lodge. 

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CLEMANS  &  WEBB. 


TESTIMONIALind   coming  generations.     It  will  b 

FROM  THE  SUPREME  CHANCr"?    lodge'    through™*     the    . 

rder,   to   be  possessor  of   it;    it   w: 
Supreme  Governme    ,  ,  .    .  _  ,  . 

T-,  .      od   work,   and  is  a   reference   whtc 

.executive  ,  -     ,  ,        _ 

~        ,  nes    the   cost   of   the   book.      I    ha ,  z 
Grand 

the    order    nearly    thirty-five    years, 

CUJMENS  &  WEBB  nstituting  new  lodges,  and  carrying 

Los  Angeles,   Cal.         lodge   r°°m'   *   have  Ke*   the   need 
Gentlemen: 

Your  favor  of  Oct.   26th,  with  "Pytl. Fraternallv  y°urs' 
circulars,  came  during  my   absence  in 

had    time    since    my    return    to    read    thcELLOR   OF   GAUNTLET    LODGE 
glanced  -through  it.     The  information  COELES. 

be  of   benefit  to   any   person.      It   seems  I,os  Angeles,    Cal., 

that    lodges    should    so    neglect    to    take  Feb.   9,    1903. 

good  a  thing. 

Trusting    you    may   be    more   successfAngeles,  Cal. 
and  thanking  you   for  the  copy,   I   am   rs: 

Sincerely  and  fraternally  y>ook  "Pythian  Sketches"  submitted 
TRAtion  and  consideration  meets  with 
Suprl.  The  historical  and  descriptive 

FROM  THE  SUPREME  PRELATE ^r.0^'    cannot    fail    to    be    oi 

Grand  Lodge  of  California311.  fmght/'      "   WlU   g!VC    ^   fr 

Office    of    Supreme    Repr;t    ldea    of    th<    countnes    and    th€ 

all   the  characters   of   our   ritual,   2 

far  to  make  them  appreciate  more 

Bros.    Clemans   &   Webb   are   deservink  of  our  Order- 

thanks  of  every  Pythian  Knight  for  havecommend     'he    llttlc    work    to    al 
venient,    compact    and    readable    form    as    on^'    uni(lue   of    its    kind>    the) 
most   valuable   of   the   history,   aims   andbe  Wlthout 
our  Order.     No  Knight  can  familiarize  lurs  internally, 
little  book  of   "Pythian   Sketches"   witho^      ^    G'    ^^TNGSTON,    P.    C, 
terest    in    Pythianism    deepened,    his    knc>dge   N°'    I29'   ^°S   AnSeles'   Lal« 
and   his   love   of   the   Order   quickened   acE,  No.  88,  OREGON. 
Chapter   III.   alone  is  worth  to  any  earn  Seaside,   Ore., 

times  over  the  price  of  the   little   book,  No\.    9,    1903. 

study    of   the  concluding  chapters   will   p 
into    the    beautiful    and    instructive    lesso.ngeles. 
Rank.      I  earnestly  commend  it  to  all  Kthers: 

GEORGS ketches"  have  arrived  O.   K.     Tc 

-    Sud   with   them   is   putting  it   mildly 

nimending  them  to  all  Knights  o* 

them  a  great  benefit  in  the  instruc 


19 


D.  K.  TRASK 

GRAND  CHANCELLOR  OF  CALIFORNIA 
JUDGE  OF  THE   SUPERIOR   COURT  OF  LOS  ANGELES   COUNTY 


K^tbian  Sketcbes 


X*  TL  Glemans,  1BL  TR.  anD  p.  0*  1R. 

'  Ifc.  1ft.  ©.,  Gauntlet  Uo&^c  mo.  129,  las  Bnaeles,  Cal, 
— arrt— 

dapt  10.  (5.  TOlebb,  m.  TR.  an£>  p.  0. 1R. 

Uinttc  !!Lo^gc  Ifto,  18,  IRobinson,  TUtab 
TKIlttb  an  Untrobuctton  bs 

5)*  1R*  Urasft 
(3ranD  Chancellor  of  tbe  Domain  of  California 


"1foe  tbat  batb  li^bt  witbin  bis  own 
clear  breast,  mas  sit  in  tbe  center  of 
tbe  night  an&  enjos  brigbt  ^as  " 


Xos  Bn0ele0,  Cal. 

Glemans  &  IPdlebb 
IP.  P.  it 


Copyright  1903 

b2 
Clemans  &  "QClcbb 


TIMES'MIRROR    PRINTING    AND   BINDING  HOUSE 


OSS 


\ 


INTRODUCTION 


By  the  Grand  Chancellor  of  California* 

Brother  Knights'. 

11  Pythian  Sketches"  is  intended  to  answer  the  questions  most 
commonly  asked  by  those  seeking  information  about  the  Order 
of  Knights  of  Pythias.  It  is  a  ready  reference  manual  of 
Pythianism,  convenient  for  the  purposes  of  all  seekers  after 
knowledge  concerning  the  subjects  here  treated.  The  selection 
of  topics  is  good,  their  treatment  is  clear  and  concise,  and  the 
result  is  a  book  that,  while  reasonably  comprehensive  and 
thorough,  is  of  a  size  and  cost  such  that  it  can  and  should  be 
owned,  possessed  and  used  by  every  member  of  the  Order. 

If  this  little  book  shall  be  so  received  among  our  lodges  and 
membership  that  it  shall  accomplish  a  large  measure  of  useful- 
ness, its  author  will  be  compensated  by  a  recognition  which  his 
labors  merit. 

Fraternally, 

D.  K.  TRASK. 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  April  1903. 


117018 


TABLE  OF    CONTENTS 

I. 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  SECRET  SOCIETIES. 

SECTION  i.  Secret  Societies  not  New.  2.  Inventions  Lead 
to  Secrecy.  3.  Ancient  Workshops.  4.  Guild  Brother- 
hoods. 5.  Secret  Societies  Among  the  Indians.  6.  Ancient 
English  Societies.  7.  Their  Objects.  8.  Their  Names. 
9.  By-Laws  of  the  Exeter  Guild.  10.  Social  and  Craft 
Guilds,  ii.  Membership.  12.  Fees  and  Benefits.  13.  The 
"Three  Guilds'  Statutes/'  14.  Two  Classes  of  Secret  So- 
cieties. 15.  The  Criminal  Class.  16.  The  Benevolent  Class. 

II. 
THE    ROMANCE   OF   KNIGHTHOOD. 

SECTION  17.  Chivalry  Had  no  Separate  Origin.  18.  Came 
Probably  from  the  Customs  of  Ancient  Germans. 
19.  Definition  of  the  Word  Knight.  20.  Knighthood,  a 
Freemasonry.  21.  Its  Development.  22.  The  Rank  of 
Page.  23.  Rank  of  Esquire.  24.  Rank  of  Knight.  25.  The 
Knighting  of  Varocher. 

III. 
ORDEK  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS. 

SECTION  26.  The  Founder.  27.  Its  Origin.  28.  Washington 
Lodge,  No.  i.  29.  First  Grand  Lodge.  30.  Franklin 
Lodge,  No.  2.  31.  Reorganization  of  Grand  Lodge. 
32.  Progress.  33.  Proceedings  of  Grand  Lodge,  1867. 
34.  Organization  of  the  Supreme  Lodge.  35.  Second  Ses- 
sion, 1870.  36.  The  Conclaves.  37.  Rathbone  Resigns  from 
Order.  38.  Supreme  Lodge,  Session  1876.  39.  Cry  for 
Help.  40.  Endowment  Rank.  41.  Progress.  42.  Status  of 
Order  in  1902. 


CONTENTS. 

IV. 
THE  UNIFORM  RANK. 

SECTION  43.  The  Rank  a  Source  of  Prosperity.  44.  A  Re- 
serve Force  of  the  Nation.  45.  Its  Origin.  46.  Its  Devel- 
opment and  Growth.  47.  The  U.  R.  is  a  Higher  Rank. 
48.  Its  Present  Prosperity. 

V. 

THE  ENDOWMENT  RANK. 

SECTION  49.  Institution  of  the  E.  R.  50.  In  an  Experimental 
Stage.  51.  Progress  and  Drawbacks.  52.  Now  on  a  Solid 
Foundation.  53.  Safely  Guarded  in  Every  Way. 

VI. 

THE  RATHBONE  SISTERS. 

SECTION  54.  Several  Petitions  Rejected.  55.  Action  of  Su- 
preme Lodge,  1888.  56.  Institution.  57.  Change  of  Title. 
58.  Status  in  1901.  59.  Benefits  Derived  by  Local  Lodges. 
60.  Why  Should  the  Sisters  Not  Be  Officially  Recognized? 

VII. 
THE  DRAMATIC  ORDER  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  OF  KHORASSAN, 

SECTION  61.  Its  Origin  and  Membership.  62.  Its  Cere- 
monies. 63.  The  Social  Element  of  the  Order.  64,  Its 
Invitation.  65.  Its  Maxims.  66.  Is  Worthy  of  Support. 

VIII. 
THE  STORY  OF  DAMON  AND  PYTHIAS. 

SECTION  67.  Who  Were  These  Men?  68.  Two  Phases  of 
the  Story.  69.  The  Fiction  Phase.  70.  The  Authority  for 
the  Historic  Phase.  71.  Cicero's  Account.  72.  Diodorus'. 
73.  Valerius'  Version.  74.  The  Story  as  Given  by  Por- 
phyry. 75.  That  of  lamblicus.  76.  Summary. 


CONTENTS. 

IX. 
THE  LIFE  OF  PYTHAGORAS. 

SECTION  77.  Many  of  the  Same  Name.  78.  Mythological  His- 
tory of  Pythagoras.  79.  Historical  Facts.  80.  Pythagoras 
Studies  in  Egypt.  81.  And  Elsewhere.  82.  Returns  to 
Samos.  83.  Settles  in  Crotona.  84.  Founds  the  Brother- 
hood. 85.  Objects  of  the  Order.  86.  Rules  of  the  Order. 
87.  The  Results  in  Italy  and  Greece.  88.  Pythagorean 
Philosophy  Found  in  the  Essenic  Sect  of  the  Jews  in  Time 
of  Christ.  89.  The  Philosophy  of  Numbers.  90.  The 
Mathematical  Relationship  of  One  Thing  to  Another. 
91.  The  Doctrine  of  Transmigration  of  Souls.  92.'  The 
Discoveries  and  Writings  of  Pythagoras. 

X. 

THE  ISLAND  OF  SICILY. 

SECTION  93.  Its  Situation.  94.  Its  Importance.  95.  Its  Geo- 
graphical History.  96.  Geographical  Summary.  97.  The 
Colonies.  98.  The  Aborigines.  99.  The  Phoenician  Colo- 
nies. 100.  Grecian  Colonies.  101.  Syracuse.  102.  Leon- 
tenoi,  Catina  and  Zankle.  103.  Northern  and  Southern 
Coasts.  104.  The  Partition  of  the  Island.  105.  Last  Greek 
Attempt  to  Colonize  the  Phoenician  Quarters.  106.  Status 
of  Syracuse. 

XL 

THE  HISTORY  OF  SYRACUSE. 

SECTION  107.  The  Citizens.  108.  The  Government.  109.  The 
Word  "Tyrant."  Ho.  The  Early  Tyrants,  in.  Hippoc- 
rates. 112.  Gelon.  113.  Troubles  with  Natives  and  Hired 
Troops.  114.  Fifty  Years'  Peace.  115.  Quarrels  with  Old 
Greece.  116.  War  with  Athens.  117.  Siege  of  Syracuse. 
118.  Hermocrates.  119.  Dionysius.  120.  Dionysius  the 
Younger.  121.  Timoleon.  122.  Tyrant  Agathocles  Be- 
comes King.  123.  King  Hiero  II.  124.  Syracuse  Becomes 
a  Dependency  of  Rome. 


CONTENTS. 

XII. 
THE  RULE  OF  DIONYSIUS. 

SECTION  125.  The  Rise  of  Dionysius.  126.  Made  General. 
127.  Made  Tyrant.  128.  The  Southern  Coast  Lost  to  Syra- 
cuse. 129.  Dionysius  the  Greatest  Ruler  in  Europe. 
130.  Extends  His  Dominion.  131.  Prepares  for  War. 
132.  First  Punic  War.  133.  Invades  Italy.  134.  Dionysius 
a  Poet.  135.  Later  Campaigns.  136.  Close  of  the  Reign. 
.137.  Character  of  Dionysius'  Rule. 

XIII. 
THE  ARTS  OF  ANCIENT  EGYPT. 

SECTION  138.  Mummy  of  Earliest  Known  Man.  139.  Rise  of 
Egyptian  Power.  140.  Pythagoras  Studies  in  Egypt. 
141.  Architecture.  142.  The  Art  of  Painting.  143.  Irriga- 
tion. 144.  Industrial  Arts.  145.  Linen.  146.  Metal  Work. 
147.  Embalming.  148.  Writing.  149.  La  Plungeon's  View 
of  the  Origin  of  the  Hieroglyphics. 

XIV. 
THE  SCIENCE  OF  ARABIA. 

SECTION  150.  The  Two  Arabias.  151.  Origin  of  the  Arabs. 
152.  Southern  or  Town  Arabs.  153.  Northern  or  Bedouin 
Arabs.  154.  Early  History.  155.  Later  History.  156.  Foundation 
of  Spanish  Universities.  157.  Arabian  Language  the  Pride  of 
the  Nation.  158.  The  Rise  of  the  "Science  of  Arabia." 
159.  Literature.  160.  Astronomy.  161.  Mathematics. 

162.  Painting.     163.  Medicine  and  Chemistry. 

XV. 

THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF   PHOENICIA. 

SECTION  164.  Phoenicia  Had  no  Philosophy.  165.  The  Ori- 
gin of  the  Nation.  166.  The  Extent  of  Their  Voyages. 
167.  Sidon.  168.  Tyre.  169.  Joppa.  170.  Colonies. 

171.  Manufacture.     172.  Mining. 


CONTENTS. 

XVI. 

THE  LORE  OF  THE  CHALDEAN  SAGES. 

SECTION  173.  Chaldea,  the  Center  of  Ancient  Civilization. 
174.  Traces  of  Early  Civilization.  175.  Ancient  Records  of 
Ereck.  176.  Library  of  Ereck.  177.  Contents  of  the  Li- 
brary. 178.  Library  of  Ur.  179.  The  Confederacy  of  Cities. 
180.  Arts  and  Sciences  in  an  Advanced  Stage.  181.  The 
Emigration  of  the  Phoenicians  and  Hebrews.  182.  Gudea, 
King  of  Lagash.  183.  Sargon,  Founder  of  Accad.  184.  The 
Arch  an  Ancient  Invention.  185.  The  Phoenicians  Took  the 
Alphabet  with  Them.  186.  Nebuchadnezzer  Rules  in  Chal- 
dea. 187.  The  "Lore"  in  the  Time  of  Pythagoras.  188.  Ar- 
chitecture and  Sculpture.  189.  Metal  Works  and  Manu- 
facturing. 190.  Astronomy  and  Mathematics. 

XVII.     . 

THE  OCCULT  MYSTERIES  OF  THE  PERSIAN  MAGI. 
SECTION  191.  Iran  or  Persia.  192.  Bactria.  193.  The 
Median  Empire.  194.  Reign  of  Deioces.  195.  Of  Phraor- 
tes.  196.  Cyaxares.  197.  Cyrus  Conquers  Media.  198.  The 
Magi.  199.  Zoroaster,  the  Founder  of  the  Magian  Religion. 
200.  The  Zend  Avesta.  201.  The  Teachings  of  the  Magi. 
202.  Reformed  Doctrines.  203.  The  Magian  Orders. 

XVIII. 
PYTHIAN  BON  MOTS. 

SECTION  204.  C.  L.  S.  Calkin,  P.  G.  C.,  California.  205.  Ed. 
Schulze,  P.  G.  C.,  Connecticut.  206.  W.  F.  Robinson,  P. 
G.  C.,  Colorado.  207.  D.  E.  Webster,  P.  G.  C.,  District  of 
Columbia.  208.  Hon.  W.  G.  Brantley.  209.  D.  E.  Storm, 
P.  G.  C,  Georgia.  210.  M.  Yewell,  P.  G.  C.,  Kentucky. 
211.  E.  E.  Murphy,  P.  G.  C,  Kansas.  212.  F.  L.  Schaffer, 
P.  G.  C.,  Manitoba.  213.  J.  D.  Corwell,  P.  G.  C.,  Wash- 
ington. 214.  Henry  T.  Gage,  ex-Gov.  of.  California. 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  SECRET  SOCIETIES 

"If  Fraternal  Love  held  all  men  bound  how  beautiful   this 
world  would  be.*' 

THE  truth  of    the  old  adage  "There  is  nothing  new  under    the 
sun"  may  be  exemplified  in  the  case  of  secret  societies, 
for  it  must  have  been  very  early  in  the  history  of  man  that 
they  began  their  existence;  possibly  in  the  times  when  man  lived 
a  primitive  life;  when  his  wants  were  few  and  easily  satisfied; 
and   his   intellect   had   not  yet  been  brought  to  bear   upon   the 
means  of  obtaining  his  livelihood. 

2.  Upon  the  discovery  of  means  of  producing  fire  came  inven- 
tions to  utilize  it  and  man  began  to  have  a  knowledge  of  art. 
This  knowledge  increased  as  generations  passed  by  until  in  cer- 
tain branches  some  became  experts ;  and  as  competition  existed 
in  early  times  very  much  as  it  does  in  ours,  this  special  knowl- 
edge was  naturally  kept  within  the  small  circle  of  the  family  or 
tribe,  who  banded  together  to  preserve  the  secrets  of  their  work, 
and  for  the  advancement  of  trade. 

3.  We  know  during  the  rough  stone  period,  the  earliest  period 
of  which  we  have  any  knowledge  of  man,  that  man  had  attained 
considerable  skill  in  many  of  the  arts;  and  scattered  over  this 
country  and  Europe  are  found  localities  where  their  workshops 
once  existed  and  where  some  remains  are  left  to  tell  the  tale. 
Most  of     these  old  factories  were  for  making  arrow-heads  and 
spear-heads,  some  of  which  are  found  perfect,  others  in  all  stages 
of  manufacture  from  the   rough  stone  to  the  perfected  article; 
while  fragments  of  flint  are  scattered  about  in  thick  profusion. 
Others  of  these  factories  were  used  for  making  pottery  of  every 
description,  and  here  broken  specimens  of  this  ware,  as  well  as 
perfect  articles,  take  the  place  of  flints  and  rocks.     To  a  cer- 
tain extent  the  workshops  are  localized,  which  seerns  to  show 


6  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

that  only  a  certain  class  worked  on  one  kind  of  production,  and 
it  is  evident  that  even  at  this  early  period,  man  had  formed  him- 
self into  bands  for  mutual  benefit.  It  is  man's  nature,  too, 
to  seek  the  society  of  others ;  he  first  finds  it  in  his  own  family, 
then  he  selects  a  few  friends  with  whom  he  and  his  family  es- 
tablish relations  of  fraternal  intercourse.  This  social  feeling  is 
prompted  by  the  desire  for  companionship  or  the  requirements  of 
mutual  protection  against  a  common  enemy. 

4.  We  can  see  from  the  above  that  there  may  have  been  two 
beginnings    of    secret    societies ;    the   former   giving    rise    to   the 
"Trade  Guilds"  and  the  latter  to  those  fraternal  and  benevolent 
societies  to  which  our  order  belongs ;  or  the  latter  may  have  been 
evolved   from  the   former,   which  is  perhaps  the  more  probable. 
Gradually  these  associations   of   workmen  assumed  the  position 
of   distinct   societies   for  the  preservation  and  protection   of  the 
special  branch   of  trade   in  which   they  had  been   working,   and 
eventually  became  Guild  Brotherhoods.     These   Guilds   soon  be- 
came so  important  that  they  gained  entire  control  of  the  trade 
for  the  protection  of  which  they  had  been  formed.     In  Europe 
they   came   into   existence   at   a   very   early   period   and   some   of 
them  still  hold  meetings. 

5.  Secret    Societies   are   found   among   all   nations,   savage  or 
civilized.   We  find  them  among  our  own  native  Indians,  where 
they  are  chiefly  used  to  keep  up  the  knowledge  of  the  history  of 
the   tribes,  and  for  the  teaching  and  making  of  medicine  men. 
These   Indian    societies   have   several    degrees    through    which   a 
candidate  must  pass  to  full  membership ;  the  lodge  rooms,  built 
of   boughs   of   trees,   are   different   for   each ;   the  ceremony   also 
varies,  as  do  the  signs  and  pass-words.    The  ritual  is  mostly  of  a 
religious  character;  the  candidate  goes  through  these  ceremonies 
much  after  the  style  of  the  modern  neophyte;  the  dress  and  facial 
painting  indicate  the  rank  each  member  has  taken  in  the  order; 
and  there  are  other  signs  by  which  he  is  known. 

6.  In  England  secret  societies  sprang  up  in  the  days  when  the 
Britons  were  still  governed  by  their  own  chiefs,  and  before  any 
foreign  nation  took  away  their  lands.     Afterward,  when  history 
began  to  give  an  account  of  this  country  and  its  rulers,  writers, 


SECRET  SOCIETIES.  7 

speaking  of  these  Guilds,  say  that  they  preceded  any  known  King. 
They  are  spoken  of  in  books  that  contain  the  oldest  relics  of 
English  law.  The  old  laws  of  King  Alfred,  of  King  Ina,  of  King 
Athelstan  reproduce  older  laws  which  speak  of  the  Guild  as  a 
matter  of  well-known  fact.  As  time  rolled  on  knowledge  of  the 
origin  of  these  societies  was  lost.  The  evidence  of  their  exist- 
ence, however,  is  found  not  only  in  law  books  but  in  the  actual 
records  of  those  few  that  still  remain. 

7.  These   records   show   that  the   principle   of  association   for 
mutual  help   (supposed  to  be  a  modern  thought)    was  found  in 
name  and  fact.     The  Guild  looked  after  the  welfare  of  the  living 
brothers  and  paid  respect  to  the  dead.     If  any  got  into  trouble 
the  order  paid  his  fine,  and  in  one  ordinance  we  find  these  words, 
"And  we  have   also   proclaimed   respecting  every  man   who  has 
given  his  'wed'   (pledge)   in  our  guild-ship,  if  he  should  die,  that 
each  Guild  brother  should  give  a  five  loafs  for  his  soul,  and  sing 
a  fifty   (of  psalms)   or  get  it  sung,  within  30  days."     Peace  and 
good 'behavior  were   strictly  enjoined  at  the  meetings. 

8.  We  know  the  names  of  some  of  the  Guilds  that  existed  in 
these  far  off  times.  The  "Cnihten-Gild"  (or  "Young  Men's  Guild") 
of  London  was  as  old  as  the  time  of  King  Edgar,  who  gave  it  its 
charter.     We  have  notice  of  even  an  older  Guild  in  a  grant  of 
land  made  in  the  time  of  Ethelbert.     There  is  still  in  existence 
the  agreement   and  by-laws  made  by  the  brothers   of  a   certain 
Thegns'  Guild  at  Cambridge  and  others  at  Abbottsbury,  Exeter 
and  Woodbury. 

9.  In  the  by-laws  of  the  brotherhood  at  Exeter  we  find  "That 
the  assembly  was  collected  at  Exeter  for  the  love  of  God,  and 
for  our  souls'  need,  both  as  regard  for  our  health  of  life  here, 
and  for  the  after  days  which  we  desire  for  ourselves  by  God's 
doom."     It  then  provides  for  these  meetings  once  a  year  at  which 
their    dues    or   offerings   of   malt   and   honey   were  to   be   paid. 
Each  brother  was  to  pay  five  pence  at  a  brother's  death  and  one 
penny  if  his  house  burned   down.     The  fine   for  non-attendance 
was,  "for  the  first  offense  three  masses,  for  the  second  five,  for 
the  third  offense  let  him  have  no  favor  unless  his  neglect  arose 
from   sickness  or  his  lord's  need."     If  his   dues  were  not  paid 


8  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

when  due  they  were  doubled,  and  "If  a  brother  misgreet  another 
let  him  make  boot  with  thirty  pence."  "  Now  we  p7ray  for  the 
love  of  God  that  every  man  hold  this  meeting  rightly,  as  we 
rightly  have  agreed  upon  it.  God  help  us  thereto." 

10'.  There  are  Social  Guilds  and  Craft  Guilds.  The  former 
were  founded  for  the  purpose  of  brotherly  aid  and  advancement; 
the  latter  for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  the  different 
trades.  Although  these  Guilds  latterly  obtained  their  charter 
from  the  King,  they  had  been  in  existence  long  before  they  were 
legally  recognized,  nor  was  the  King's  charter  ever  necessary  for 
their  formation. 

IT.  Women  as  well  as  men  were  admitted  into  the  orders;  the 
members  were  of  all  grades  of  life,  from  the  highest  to  the  low- 
est, and  all  enjoyed  social  equality  at  the  meetings.  King  Henry 
VIII.  and  Cardinal  Wolsey  were  brothers  of  the  Guild  of  St. 
Barbara  of  London,  and  the  Guild  of  the  Trinity  at  Coventry 
boasted  of  Henry  IV.  and  Henry  VI.  as  members. 

12.  Each  member  on  admittance  took  an  oath  of  obedience,  and 
was  received  lovingly  by  the  brothers  with  a  kiss  of  peace.     He 
then  paid   his   entrance   fee,   sometimes   in   money,     ofttimes     in 
kind.     Assessments  were  made  for  the  poor  and  distressed  and 
for  funerals.     Each  brother   (or  sister)    wore  the  robes  or  uni- 
form  of  the   Guild  to  which  he  belonged,  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
assemblies  paraded  the  streets.    The  Lord  Mayor's  show  of  Lon- 
don is  the  last  vestige  of  these  prgeants.     It  is  a  parade  of  those 
ancient  orders  that  still  exist,  escorting  the  chief  magistrate  of 
London  to  their  Guild  Hall  to  take  the  oath  of  office. 

13.  The  oldest  and  most  reliable  account,  however,  comes  from 
a  leg?l   document  known  as  the  "Three  Guild   Statutes,"  which 
was  drawn  up  in  the  seventh  century.     It  tells  us  of  one  Guild 
which   was   founded  and   richly   endowed   by   Orey,   a   friend   of 
Canute  the  Great,  at  AbSottsford,  in  honor,  of  God  and  St.  Peter. 
Its  objects  were  the  support  and  nursing  of  infirm  Guild  members, 
the  burial  of  the  dead,  ?nd  the  performance  of  religious  services. 
The  Guild  met  once  a  year,  at  which  time  the  poor  were  fed 
and  clothed.     Insults  offered  one  brother  by  another  were  pun- 
ished by  the  Guild  and  reparation  made,  and  he  who  had  under- 


SECRET  SOCIETIES.  9 

taken  an  office  but  had  not  properly  discharged  the  duties  was 
severely  punished.  As  already  stated,  some  of  these  old  Guilds 
are  still  in  existence,  and  are  recognized  by  law  as  corporations 
of  the  cities  to  which  they  belong,  and  although  very  little  is 
heard  of  them,  still  they  are  in  active  operation,  as  shown  by 
their  action  in  1897  when  the  British  engineers  and  tool-makers 
were  locked  out.  The  employees  in  the  tool-makers  trade  had 
been  receiving  advanced  wages  for  a  day  of  nine  hours.  The 
London  unions  demanded  eight  hours;  this  being  refused,  the 
men  began  to  strike.  Then  the  Guilds  stepped  in,  resisted  the 
demands  and  the  unions  lost.  This  branch  of  secret  societies  kept 
its  trade  requirements  to  the  front;  others  branched  off  on  the 
fraternal  side  of  the  question,  while  others,  again,  held  to  both. 

14.  The  secret   societies   of   today   may  be   divided   into   two 
classes,  those  whose  every  action,  and  even  membership,  is  kept 
from  public  knowledge,  and  those  whose  only  secret  is  the  method 
by   means   of   which   one  member   may  know   another,   and   the 
process  of  initiation. 

15.  The  first  division  consists  of  orders  like  that  of  the  anar- 
chists, Mafia,  Clan-Na-Gael,  who  not  only  keep  their  membership 
secret  but  the  place  and  time  of  their  meetings,  and  the  object 
for  which  they  are  bound  together.    The  only  thing  known  about 
them  is  their  names,  and  the  pernicious,  unlawful  and  criminal 
results  of  their  deliberations.    It  is  the  acts  of  such  societies  that 
have  brought  odium  and  suspicion  upon  all  secret  orders,  and  have 
caused  the  opposition  of.  some  of  the  Christian  churches  toward 
them.     This  objection,  however,  is  not  confined  to  the  churches, 
but  extends  to  individual  members  of  society;  and  in  nearly  all 
cases  we  may  state  that  these  objectors  know  nothing  of  their 
own  personal  knowledge   of  secret  societies,   and   never  having 
entered    a    lodge    room,    they    cannot    legally    or    logically    form 
any  opinion  of  their  merits  or  demerits.     They  judge  the  first 
named  societies  by  the  results  of  their  meetings;  why  not  judge 
the  fraternal  societies  in  the  same  way?     Were  they  to  do  so 
their  verdict  would  be  different. 

1 6.  The  secrets  of  the  second  class  of  secret  societies  ?re  few.* 
They  proclaim  themselves  to  the  world  in  the  parades  seen  upon 


ID  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

our  public  streets,  in  the  jewels  and  buttons  worn  upon  their 
persons,  and  in  the  pride  with  which  they  own  their  membership. 
We  find  among  them  the  most  law  abiding  citizens  of  the  coun- 
try, from  the  President  to  the  laborer;  any  good,  sober,  honest 
man  can  join  them;  their  places  of  meeting  are  known  and 
published,  and  their  objects  are  seen  by  the  love  and  care  they 
give  to  their  sick  members,  by  the  comfort  they  carry  into  the 
homes  of  the  distressed,  by  the  care  and  education  of  their  or- 
phans and  by  the  burying  of  their  dead.  As  the  "  tree  is  known 
by  its  fruit,"  so  should  the  secret  society  be  judged  by  its  ac- 
tions ;  if  bad,  condemned ;  if  good,  commended  and  encouraged. 
The  objects,  as  enumerated  above,  are  the  lessons  taught  and  en- 
forced by  obligations  and  vows  taken  at  the  altar  of  the  lodge 
room ;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  each  member  (and  therefore 
all  mankind)  is  brighter  and  better  for  his  membership. 


IL 
THE   ROMANCE   OE   KNIGHTHOOD 

"  Chivalry  is  the  Christian  form  of  the  Military  profession;  the 
Knight  is  the  Christian  Soldier." 

THE  origin  of  chivalry,  if  indeed  it  may  be  said  to  have  had 
an  origin,  is  found  in  the  ancient  customs  of  the  Celts,  Ger- 
mans and  Arabs.   Chivalry  may  be  defined  as  the  moral  and 
social  laws  and  customs  of  the  noble  and  gentle  classes  of  the 
middle  ages.      It   is,    strictly   speaking,   a   characteristic   of   true 
gentlemen.    Its  three  principal  factors  are  war,  religion,  and  love 
of  ladies.     His  service  to  God,  his  lord  and  his  lady  underlay  all 
the  actions  of  the  knight.     He  can  never  escape,  nor  does  he 
wish  to  escape,  from  the  rule  of  service  imposed  upon  him  by 
his  religion,  military  duty,  and  love. 

18.  Tacitus,  speaking  of  the  customs  and  rites  of  the  ancient 
German  race,  tells  us  of  one  in  which  we  really  find  all  the  mili- 
tary elements  of  the  future  chivalry.  The  scene  takes  place  in 
the  shadows  of  an  old  forest.  The  whole  of  the  tribe  is  as- 
sembled in  expectation  of  an  important  ceremony  to  be  performed. 
A  young  man,  who  has  just  attained  the  age  of  manhood,  ad- 
vances into  their  midst.  He  has  long,  fair  hair,  eyes  of  a  green- 
ish-blue tint,  and  his  body  is  tattooed.  He  advances  to  the  chief, 
who  has  already  taken  his  position  in  the  center  of  the  assembly, 
and  stands  proudly  in  front  of  him.  The  chief,  without  further 
delay,  places  gravely  in  the  hands  of  the  young  man  a  sword  and 
a  buckler.  "  Such  is  the  first  honor  of  their  youth,"  Tacitus  says. 
"  Till  then  the  young  man  was  only  one  of  a  family.  He  becomes 
by  this  rite  a  member  of  the  Republic.  The  sword  and  buckler 
he  will  never  abandon."  The  solemn  ceremony  of  the  handing 
of  arms  to  the  young  German  is  the  first  germ  of  chivalry  which 
is  one  day  to  be  animated  into  life  by  Christianity.  Similar  cus- 


12  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

toms  were  in  vogue  among  the  Celtic  and  Arab  divisions  of  the 
human  race. 

19.  The  word  "  knight "   comes   from  an  Anglo-Saxon  word 
meaning  a  boy  between  the  ages  of  childhood  and  manhood.     It 
afterward  came  to  mean  an  attendant,  then  a  military  attendant 
or  retainer  of  a  sovereign,  or  prince,  or  person  of  high  rank.    At 
the  time  of  the  Norman  Conquest  of  England,  the  knight  was  the 
military  attendant  to  the  earls,  bishops  and  barons  of  the  coun- 
try. 

20.  Throughout  the  whole  period  of  chivalry,  knighthood  was 
a  kind  of  freemasonry.  Nations,  except  for  the  accident  of  lan- 
guage,  were   then   less   clearly   distinguishable   from   each   other 
than  now.    Knight  errants  and  troubadours  were  welcomed  every- 
where, and  French  being  the  common  language  of  the  courts  of 
England,   France,   and   Germany,  was  the  medium  of   converse. 
When  the  church  took  control  of  knighthood,  which  became  al- 
most  a   sacrament,   Latin   was   also   introduced,   which   with   the 
French,  made  a  perfect  medium  of  speech  throughout  Europe. 

21.  Knighthood  was  fully  developed  during  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury,  at   which   time    crusades   were    formed   and   knights    from 
every  part  of  Europe  met  as  brothers  in  arms.     The  church  then 
consecrated  knighthood  by  sacramental  forms,  and  about  the  same 
time  the  doctrine  of  love  became  an  essential  part  of  chivalry. 
"  Knighthood  from  Feing  a  matter  of  war  and  feudal  dependence, 
gained  dignity  by  becoming  romantic,"  and  so  great  had  its  dig- 
nity become  that  the  greatest  prince  thought  it  an  honor  to  be 
knighted  by  some  noted  captain.     Although  knighthood  had  no 
special  rules  as  to  who  should  enter  its  ranks,  customs  and  ex- 
penses kept  it  within  the  families   of  the  nobles.     No  one  was 
born  a  knight,  and  only  after  a  hard  apprenticeship,  first  as  a 
"  page  "  and  then  as  an  "  esquire,"  could  a  young  noble  be  "  dub- 
bed "   (from  A.  S.  "  dubban,"  to  strike)   a  knight. 

22.  Until  the  age  of  "seven  the  boy  was  under  his  mother's 
charge ;  at  that  age  he  was  sent  as  a  page  to  the  estate  of  a  noted 
baron,  bishop   or   some  knight   of   fame   to   be  brought   up  and 
taught   gentleness   of   manner   and   the   duties  of  a   knight.     All 
pages  were  placed  under  the  control  of  an  esquire,  who  directed 


ROMANCE  OF  KNIGHTHOOD.  13 

them  as  he  saw  fit,  but  who  was  obliged  to  give  them  an  educa- 
tion. Reading,  writing,  and  music  were  some  of  the  requirements, 
and  these  were  generally  undertaken  by  the  lady  of  the  house, 
while  the  duties  of  service  were  taught  by  the  master  of  the 
henchmen.  For  seven  years  this  servitude  was  willingly  given; 
nor  was  it  ever  thought  a  degrading  one ;  it  was  as  natural  to  the 
boys  of  old  as  going  to  school  is  to  the  boys  of  today ;  in  fact, 
it  was  the  school  of  those  early  times.  The  page  was  much 
with  the  ladies,  but  he  was  also  learning  the  duties  of  an  esquirt 
in  the  stabks,  armory  and  kennels ;  pages  also  waited  on  the  table, 
and  the  modern  institution  of  "  fagging "  is  a  relic  of  this 
mediaeval  service. 

As  before  mentioned,  reading,  writing,  playing  the  harp  and 
singing  were  the  accomplishments  of  the  knight,  to  which  were 
added  French,  the  language  of  the  court.  If  the  mistress  did  not 
undertake  the  duties  of  teaching  them  herself  she  hired  some  poor 
troubadour,  in  need  of  help,  to  educate  the  boys.  Chess,  a  kind 
of  bagatelle,  the  rules  of  good  manners  and  the  rudiments  ol 
gallantry  were,  however,  always  under  the  supervision  of  the 
ladies. 

23.  The  rank  of  "  esquire  "  was  bestowed  upon  the  page  when 
about  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  then  left  his  mistress'  service 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  service  to  his  master.  He  attended 
to  the  hall,  the  armory,  the  tiltyard,  the  stables,  the  parks,  and  all 
that  pertained  to  hunting  and  hawking.  All  these  duties  he  had 
to  learn  personally  and  perform  with  his  own  hands.  In  a 
wealthy  nobleman's  estate,  whose  chief  glory  was  to  be  able  to 
show  a  great  number  of  retainers  wearing  his  livery,  and  liv- 
ing at  his  expense,  the  work  would  be  comparatively  light  on 
account  of  the  number  to  do  it.  Thus  the  chief  part  of  the 
work  done  on  an  estate  was  discharged  by  esquires,  old  and 
young,  and  pages;  but  under  these  were  grooms,  huntsmen,  and 
domestic  menials.  The  esquire  carved  the  meat  in  the  hall, 
handed  vessels  of  meat  and  served  wine,  followed  by  "  varlets  " 
or  pages  carrying  dishes.  He  gave  water  for  the  guests'  hands 
after  dinner,  he  made  his  lord's  bed,  helped  him  to  dress, 
groomed  his  horses,  and  cared  for  his  armor.  He  armed  his 


I4  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

lord  for  the  tournament  or  for  battle;  and  when  at  war  he  pro- 
vided him  with  fresh  horses  or  new  lances.  During  a  fight  two 
esquires  always  attended  a  knight  and  fought  by  his  side. 

The  most  pleasing  part  of  all  his  duties,  however,  was  his 
attendance  upon  the  ladies.  He  played  chess  with  them,  some- 
times rode  with  them,  and  at  other  times  attended  them  while 
hawking  and  hunting.  In  this  service,  the  highest  in  rank,  even 
the  king's  son,  thought  it  no  degradation  or  loss  of  pride  to  per- 
form these  menial  tasks,  for  as  groom,  valet  and  table-servant, 
he  was  but  learning  duties  that  were  to  be  rendered  to  himself 
when  he  had  passed  through  the  degrees  of  page  and  esquire,  and 
these  obligations  of  precedence  and  etiquette  became  to  him  as 
a  matter  of  course. 

When  an  esquire  had  learned  the  duties  of  a  knight  and 
had  proved  himself  worthy,  he  could  then  aspire  to  the  dignity  of 
knighthood.  Not  all,  however,  cared  for  the  higher  rank,  and 
many,  though  in  all  respects  qualified,  never  assumed  it,  some  on 
account  of  its  expense,  ot'hers  on  account  of  its  responsibilities. 

24.  The  ancient  ceremony  of  dubbing  a  knight  was  simple. 
It  consisted  in  robing  the  esquire  in  white  and  red,  arming  him 
with  a  sword  and  lance,  hanging  a  shield  about  his  neck  and 
placing  a  helmet  upon  his  head,  with  the  command  "  Be  brave. " 
He  then  vaulted  upon  his  horse  without  the  use  of  the  stirrup 
and  rode  away.  Afterward,  when  knighthood  had  reached  its 
prime,  the  ceremony  became  more  elaborate.  The  esquire  was 
solemnly  stripped  of  his  clothes  by  his  fellow  esquires,  put  into 
a  bath,  the  'symbol  of  purification,  and  conducted  to  his  bed  to 
get  dry.  On  rising  he  was  clothed  in  a  white  robe,  the  emblem 
of  purity,  and  a  scarlet  doublet,  the  emblem  of  nobility.  The 
night  before  his  admission  to  the  order  of  knighthood,  in  imita- 
tion of  the  vigil  of  the  catechumens,  he  wras  kept,  fully  armed, 
sometimes  alone,  sometimes  with  two  priests,  watching  in  the 
church  before  the  altar.  In  the  morning  his  sponsors  came  to 
him  and  the  ceremony  proceeded.  Mass  was  sung  and  the  sacra- 
ment taken.  The  esquire  then  delivered  his  sword  to  the  priest, 
who  laid  it  on  the  altar,  blessed,  and  returned  it.  He  then  gave 
it  into  the  hands  of  his  patron  knight,  to  whom  he  made  his 


ROMANCE  OF  KNIGHTHOOD.  15 

knightly  vow.  Then  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  lady  who  was 
to  arm  him,  he  was  invested  with  halberd,  gauntlets,  spurs,  and 
the  rest  of  his  armor,  and  lastly  with  the  sword  and  belt.  Kneel- 
ing again  before  his  patron,  he  received  the  accolade,  three  strokes 
upon  the  shoulder  with  flat  of  the  sword 

25.  There  are  several  instances  where  poor  and  ignorant  men 
have  been  knighted  for  their  own  intrinsic  worth.  One,  a  poor 
woodcutter,  named  Varocher,  so  devoted  himself  to  the  Queen  of 
France  that  he  left  his  own  wife  and  children  to  become  her 
guide  and  defender.  He  led  her  through  Hungary  and  protected 
her  and  her  infant  child,  Louis,  who  was  born  while  in  exile,  as 
he  would  his  mother.  After  the  queen's  trouble  was  over  and 
she  returned  to  her  husband,  Varociier  was  knighted  for  his  faith- 
fulness. The  King,  Charlemagne,  himself  girded  on  the  sword, 
a  duke  buckled  the  spurs,  and  the  queen  invested  him  with  the 
emblem  of  nobility,  exclaiming  as  she  did  so,  "  There  is  not  in  the 
whole  world  a  man  more  loyal." 

All  knights  had  the  power  to  bestow  knighthood  upon  others, 
but  this  right  was  not  generally  taken  advantage  of.  It  was 
left  to  those  who  had  gained  distinction  on  the  battlefield,  or,  in 
time  of  peace,  to  the  sovereign. 

The  age  of  chivalry  may  be  roughly  stated  to  have  extended 
from  the  time  of  commencement  of  the  Crusades  to  that  of  the 
end  of  the  "  War  of  the  Roses  "  in  England.  Within  this  period, 
about  four  hundred  years,  all  that  was  peculiar  to  it  arose,  at- 
tained its  maturity  and  fell  into  decay.  Its  life  as  a  distinct  pro- 
fession was  short,  yet  the  spirit,  and  many  of  its  external  forms, 
were  in  existence  long  ages  before  that  time  and  continued  until 
about  the  sixteenth  century. 


IIL 
ORDER  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  Q  OF  PYTHIAS 

"Big  Oaks  from  Little  Acorns  Grow" 

JUSTUS  H.  RATHBONE,  the  founder  of  the  Order  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  born  at  Dearfield,  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.,  Oct.  29,  1839.  After  completing  his  education  he  became 
a  teacher  in  the  State  schools  of  Michigan,  where  he  remained 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  when  he  joined  a  com- 
pany of  Volunteers  at  Detroit,  but  as  this  company  was  not  ac- 
cepted he  joined  the  army  in  another  place.  This  was  in  1863. 
Soon  afterward  he  was  sent  to  Washington  for  service  in  the  medi- 
cal department.  After  the  war  he  held  several  other  government 
offices.  He  died  in  1889  at  Lima,  Ohio,  and  was  buried  at  Forest 
Hill  Cemetery,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  where  a  splendid  monument  has 
been  erected  over  his  grave  by  the  grand  lodge  of  that  domain. 

27.  It  was  during  his  professional  career  as  a  teacher  at  Eagle 
Harbor,  Mich.,  in  1859,  that  the  idea  of  a  secret  order  first  came 
to  Mr.  Rathbone.     He  had  organized  among  a  few  of  his  friends 
at  Eagle  Harbor  a  Dramatic  Society,  and  he  was  appointed  to 
select   the  plays,     "  Among   the   plays   sent   in,"   he   says,   "  was 
the  well  known  and  popular  drama  '  Damon  and  Pythias/    I  had 
seen  this  play  rendered  on  several  previous  occasions  and  it  was 
a  great  favorite  with  me.     It  was  this  play  that  suggested  to  me 
the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias.     I  at  once  commenced  the  prep- 
aration of  a  ritual  for  the  prospective  order." 

28.  On  Feb.  15,  1864,  Mr.  Rathbone  being  then  in  the  govern- 
ment service  at  Washington,  a  meeting  of  the  Arion  Glee  Club 
took  place  and  the  ritual  was  read.     After  a  discussion  it  was 
decided  to  form  a  society,  to  be  known  as  a  mutual  protective  as- 
sociation, among  the  clerks   of  the  various  departments  at  Wash- 
ington.   It  was  resolved  that  each  one  present  should  invite  such 


KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS.  17 

of  his  fellow  clerks  whom  he  deemed  worthy  to  join  the  club 
in  forming  the  order. 

On  the  following  Friday,  there  being  a  sufficient  number  pres- 
ent to  organize  a  society,  the  meeting  was  called  to  order  and 
the  ritual  read  and  adopted,  each  person  having  been  put  under 
oath  to  reveal  its  contents  to  no  one.  The  officers  elected  were 
J.  H.  Rathbone,  Worthy  Chancellor;  Joel  R.  Woodruff,  Vice,  and 
J.  T.  K.  Plant,  Patriarch  or  Prelate.  All  the  members  attending 
this  meeting  were  government  clerks  except  Mr.  Plant,  who  had 
been  especially  invited  by  Mr.  Rathbone  by  consent  of  the  others. 
Such  was  the  beginning  of  Washington  Lodge  No.  I,  Knights  of 
Pythias.  Meetings  took  place  on  the  23rd  and  27th  of  February, 
when  numerous  applications  for  membership  were  received. 

29.  The  next  month  a  grand  lodge  was  formed  by  choosing 
three  representatives  from  among  themselves,  of  which  Brother 
Plant  became  Grand  Chancellor.    There  seems  to  have  been  some 
misunderstanding  among  the  members  at  this  time,  for  we  find 
on  the  2ist  of  the  following  April  that  Brother  Rathbone  sent 
in  his  resignation  of  office  and  membership,  which  was  accepted. 

30.  The  Grand  Lodge  was  organized  on  April  I2th,  and  Frank- 
lin Lodge  No.  2,  at  the  Navy  Yards,  'soon  after  came  into  exist- 
ence; on  May  igth  Columbus  Lodge  No.  3  was  organized,  fol- 
lowed by  Potomac  Lodge  No.  4  on  June  2nd.    It  was  on  Feb.  I, 
1865,  that  the  order  stepped  into  the  neighboring  state  of  Virginia 
with  the  organization  of  Alexandria  Lodge  No.  i.    Then  came  a 
lull.     Potomac  and  Columbia  ceased  holding  meetings  in  April 
for  want  of  quorums ;  Alexandria  followed  suit  five  months  after 
institution,  so  that  when  the  Grand  Lodge  met  in  annual  session 
in  June,  1865,  only  two  lodges  were  represented,  Washington  No. 
T  and  Franklin  No.  2.     The  next  July  saw  the  consolidation  of 
Washington  No.  I  with  Franklin  No.  2,  so  that  on  Aug.  I,  1865, 
the   only   lodge   in   existence   was   Franklin   down   in   the   Navy 
Yards.     As  the  Grand  Lodge  became  extinct  Franklin  took  its 
duties  upon  itself.    This  lodge  seems  to  have  been  in  a  prosperous 
condition  in  spite  of  its  Master  of  Finance,  or  Banker,  as  was 
then  the  title,  having  decamped  with  some  $225  of  the  funds.     It 
had  a  membership  of  sixty  and  there  was  about  $200  still  in  its 


i8  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

treasury.  New  life  soon  was  manifested,  and  on  April  i8th  a 
charter  was  granted  to  Mt.  Vernon  No.  5  by  the  Past  Chancellor 
of  Franklin  No.  2,  and  fifteen  members  were  added  to  the  gen- 
eral roster. 

Up  to  this  time  no  printing  had  been  done;  the  ritual  was 
in  manuscript,  the  ranks  closed  without  charges,  except  the  second 
(modern  third),  when  an  extempore  address  was  usually  given; 
the  grip,  'signs  and  obligations  were  imperfect  and  a  mere  rep- 
etition of  one  another. 

On  April  26th,  1866,  Past  Chancellor  J.  H.  Rathbone  applied 
to  the  Franklin  Lodpfe  for  re-instatement.  This  was  formally 
reported  upon  and  granted,  and  Bro.  Rathbone  once  more  became 
an  active  member  of  the  order,  after  an  absence  of  two  years. 

31.  On  the  first  of  the  next  month  a  committee  of  Past  Ch?n- 
cellors  with  P.  C.  Rathbone  as  Chairman  met  and  reorganized 
the  Grand  Lodge.  Bro.  Rathbone  was  appointed  Grand  Chancellor 
to  fill  the  unexpired  term,  which  ended  June  30th,  1866.  At  this 
meeting  the  signs,  grip  and  password  were  changed,  a  secret 
cipher  made  and  adopted,  and  the  ritual  ordered  printed. 

On  May  28th,  following  the  reorganization,  P.  G.  C.  Plant 
was  expelled  from  the  order  for  "  divers  reasons,"  and  was 
requested  to  deliver  to  the  grand  lodge  the  books,  seal  and 
papers  belonging  to  it,  but  he  refused  to  do  so.  At  the  regular 
annual  session  in  July  of  same  year  Ed.  Bunn  of  No.  2  was 
installed  Grand  Chancellor  and  P.  G.  C.  Rathbone  succeeded  to 
the  chair  of  Venerable  Grand  Patriarch,  the  highest  office  of  the 
order.  A  special  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  was  called  on  the 
3Oth,  to  grant  a  charter  to  forty-three  members  constituting  Lib- 
erty Lodge  No.  6  at  the  Navy  Yards.  . 

31.  Progressive  work  now  seems  to  have  been  the  order  of 
the  day,  and  during  the  next  August  Webster  Lodge  No.  7  was 
instituted,  while  the  charter  of  Franklin  No.  2  was  opened  for 
new  members,  who  were  to  be  disqualified  from  benefits  for  six 


KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS.  19 

months.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  four  lodges  in  ex- 
istence : 

Franklin         No.  2,  with     79  members. 

Mt.  Vernon  No.  5,       "     101 

Liberty          No.  6,       "     165 

Web-ster        No.  7,      "      34 

making  a  total  membership  of  379.  This  is  rather  a  poor  showing 
after  two  years  of  existence,  but  these  four  lodges  were  the  result 
of  the  weeding  out  of  all  poor  material  and  this  left  them  on  a 
good  social  foundation. 

33.  The  next  meeting  of  the  Grand  Lodge  took  place  Feb.  27, 
1867,  when  Washington  No.  i  was  ordered  to  be  reorganized,  the 
proceedings  of  the  Grand  Lodge  were  declared  "null  and  void," 
a  new  seal  ordered,  and  P.  G.  C.  Rathbone  declared  the  Senior 
P.  G.  C.    of  the  Order.  Excelsior  No.  i  of  Pennsylvania  was  in- 
stituted Feb.  23rd.    The  order  now  seemed  to  have  a  fair  start,  for 
at  the  end  of  1877  there  were  eight  lodges  in  good  working  order 
and  the  Grand  Lodge  created  itself  into  a  provisional  Supreme 
Lodge,  doing  for  the  time  double  duty. 

Soon  after  we  see  the  order  firmly  settled  in  the  following 
states : — 

Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  Delaware,  besides  the 
District  of  Columbia;  and  delegates  from  these  states  met  to 
.  formulate  plans  for  a  Supreme  Council.  Rules  and  resolutions 
were  adopted  and  referred  to  the  Grand  Lodges. 

34.  On  the   nth  of  August,   1868,  the  First   Supreme   Lodge 
Convention  met  at  Washington,  D.   C.,   P.   G.   C.   Rathbone  was 
elected  "  Founder  and  Past  Supreme  Chancellor."     The  officers 
of  the   Council  were  elected  and  duly  declared  installed.     Bro. 
Woodward,  who  had  presided  over  the  Provisional  Supreme  Lodge, 
was  elected   P.   S.   C.  and  Wm.   H.   Myres  of  Pennsylvania  be- 
came the  first  Supreme  Chancellor. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Lodge  on  Nov.  9,  1968, 
saw  a  good  deal  of  business  transacted.  It  adopted  its  seal,  the 
ritual,  the  regalia,  grip,  constitution  of  the  Supreme,  Grand  and 
Subordinate  Lodges,  and  made  arrangements  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  order.  On  account  of  the  neglect  of  duty  on  the 


20  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

part  of  Bro.  Plant  these  articles  of  incorporation  were  not  per- 
fected until  1882.  At  this  meeting  a  committee  to  translate  the 
ritual  into  the  German  language  and  report  at  that  session,  was 
appointed.  When  the  matter  was  called  up,  it  was  found  that 
the  chairman  of  that  committee  had  started  to  Philadelphia  with 
the  translation  in  his  pocket.  A  committee  was  sent  after  him 
and  the  ritual  was  recovered  and  presented  to  the  lodge  just  in 
time  to  be  acted  upon.  Although  it  was  regularly  adopted,  at  a 
subsequent  session  all  foreign  rituals  were  abolished  and  called 
in.  As  there  had  been  several  German  lodges  established  this 
brought  about  a  good  deal  of  bitterness,  nearly  causing  a  rupture 
in  the  order. 

35.  At   the   second   session  held   in   Richmond,   Va.,   in   1870, 
there  were  eight  Grand  Jurisdictions,  with  a  total  of  35,000  mem- 
bers, while  in  1871,  at  the  meeting  held  in  New  York  City  the 
Grand  Jurisdictions  were  increased  to  sixteen  and  the  member- 
ship to  54,663-  During  the  session  of  1871  and  also  the  ses'sion 
of  1872  a  petition  for  recognition  was  received  from  the  Pythian 
Sisters,  who  had   several   lodges  in   existence  with  a  numerous 
membership,  but  at  both  sessions  the  petitions  were  tabled.    Dur- 
ing this   session   trouble  was  brought   about  by  the   revision   of 
the  ritual.     Pennsylvania  Grand  Lodge  refused  to  adopt  it,  and 
in  turn  was  refused  the  S.  A.   P.  W.  and  its  charter  was  sus- 
pended.   After  a  great  many  cross  fires,  however,  the  grand  lodge 
gave  in  and  was  restored  to  its  former  good  standing. 

Trouble  was  brewing  for  the  session  of  1873  on  account  of 
the  conclave  question,  and  as  a  consequence  the  order  made  but 
little  progress;  but  by  the  time  of  the  session  of  1874  in  Balti- 
more, the  membership  had  risen  to  78,297. 

36.  This  trouble  about  the  "  conclaves  "  originated  in  the  first 
call  of  a  Supreme  Lodge.     At  that  meeting  the  members  passed 
a  resolution   (though  never  recorded)  authorizing  Bro.  Rathbone 
to  organize  a  higher     degree     unconnected     and     not     interfer- 
ing with  the  present  ritual.     This  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  do. 
A  new  ritual  was  composed,  and  the  "  Supreme  Pythian  Knights" 
instituted,   which   met   in   conclaves.   The   Supreme   Lodge   deny 
ever  having  passed  this  resolution  and  strongly  fought  against 


KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS.  21 

its  provision.  The  Grand  Lodges  were  ordered  to  demand  the 
withdrawal  of  their  members  from  all  connection  with  the  new 
rank.  On  the  refusal  of  some  of  them  to  comply  they  were  sus- 
pended. The  difficulty  was  finally  arranged  after  the  reading  of 
the  ritual  by  the  Supreme  Lodge,  and  placing  the  conclaves  under 
its  own  control  when  it  was  disconnected  altogether  from  the 
order  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  It  afterward  existed  as  an  in- 
dependent order,  and  finally  died  out. 

37.  Not  being  satisfied  with  one  or  more  officers  of  the  Su- 
preme  Lodge,    P.  S.  C.  Rathbone  once  more  sent  in  his   resignation 
from  the  order,  and  it  was  not  until  some  six  years  afterwards 
that  he  again  sought  and  obtained  readmission. 

38.  The  Supreme  Lodge  now  made  some  important  changes 
in  the  order.    The  word  "  Rank  "  was  substituted  for  "  Degree ;" 
it  was  decided  not  to  institute  lodges  in  foreign  countries ;  and 
the  ritual,  nearly  as  we  now  have  it,  with  'its  amplified  Third 
Rank,  was  adopted.     This  amplified  rank  was  prepared  by  Bro. 
(The  Rt.  Rev.)  Ussher  Bishop  of  Illinois  Domain.    The  titles  of 
officers  of  subordinate  lodges  were  changed  to  those  now  in  use. 
The  fifth  annual  session  was  a  notable  one,  as  during  its  pro- 
ceedings the  fate  of  tlie  order  hung  in  a  balance.     Supreme  Re- 
corder and  Cor.  Sec.  C.  M.  Barton  was  found  to  be  a  defaulter 
and  the  lodge  became  heavily  in  debt  to  the  amount  of  about 
$17,000.     Barton  would  not  settle,  and  as  the  articles  of  incor- 
poration had  not  been  entered  in  the  proceedings  of  the  lodge, 
(which  no  doubt  had  been  purposely  omitted  by  Barton)  nothing 
could  be  done  to  compel  him  to  make  restitution.     He  was  ex- 
pelled from  the  order  in  disgrace,  and  the  Supreme  Lodge  would 
have  become  bankrupt  had  it  not  been  for  the  Supreme  Chan- 
cellor, Henry  Clay  Berry,  who  came  to  its  rescue  and  engineered 
it  out  of  its  difficulties. 

When  Supreme  Chancellor  S.  S.  Davis  retired  in  1878,  after 
four  years  of  hard  work,  during  which  time  he  visited  every 
Grand  Jurisdiction  where  the  order  was  established,  he  left  it, 
not  only  free  from  debt,  but  with  $7,000  to  its  credit. 

39.  The  chief  event  of  1878-1880  was  the  cry  for  "help  that 
came  up  from  the  Southern  States.     In  1878  a  plague  of  yellow 


22  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

fever  broke  out  in  the  southern  cities,  Memphis,  New  Orleans 
and  Vicksburg  being  the  greatest  sufferers.  Supreme  Chancellor 
Woodruff  immediately  sent  to  the  Grand  Lodges  for  help,  which 
was  very  generously  responded  to  and  generous  aid  was  for- 
warded by  telegraph.  The  official  report  shows  that  the  sum  of 
$477,780.85  was  pafd  for  relief  during  these  two  years. 

40.  The  Endowment  Rank  had  now  been  in  existence  three 
years  and  had  proved  a  complete  success.     Four  hundred  and 
fifty   sections    had   been   founded,   21,685    certificates    issued   and 
$399,477.00  had  been  paid  in  death  endowments.  A  special  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  prepare  a  ritual,  constitution  and  laws, 
for  the  Uniform  Rank.  This  work  was  accomplished  by  Nov.  ist, 
1878,  and  divisions  authorized.     Up  to  the  meeting  of  this  ses- 
sion fifty-four  warrants  had  been  issued. 

41.  The  next  two  sessions  of  the  Supreme  Lodge  were  chiefly 
devoted  to  the  Endowment  and  Uniform  Ranks,  both  of  which 
were    rapidly    attaining   a    position    of   great    importance    in   the 
order.     In  1884  the  office  of  Sup.  Secy,  of  the  Endowment  Rank 
and    Major    General   of   the   Uniform    Rank   was    created.      The 
session  of  1886  was  notable  as  being  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  order  that  it  was  held  outside  of  the  United  States.     It 
was    held    in    Toronto,  and  it  has  gone  on  record  as  the  pleasantest 
and  most  enjoyable  ever  held;  made  so  by  the  magnificent  enter- 
tainment of  the  citizens  and  government  of  that  city.     The  Uni- 
form Rank  made  its  first  appearance  since  its  perfected  organiza- 
tion and  won  great  applause. 

Thus  the  order  has  grown  and  prospered  "  through  all  the 
ages  "  of  its  short  life,  and  is  still  growing  stronger  and  stronger 
both  in  numbers  and  financial  condition. 

42.  The  last  report  of  the  Supreme  Lodge  gives  us  a  total  of 
54  Grand  Lodges,  6740  Subordinate  Lodges,  and  a  membership  of 
nearly  600,000.     The  assets  of  the  different  lodges  amount  to  the 
magnificent  sum  of  $9,759,127.69.     Outside  our  own  country  our 
lodges  are  located  in  Canada,  Mexico,  Alaska,  Cuba,  and  the  far- 
off  Islands  of  Hawaii  and  the  Philippines. 


IV. 
THE  UNIFORM  RANK 

"Military  organisation  is  a  science,  and  is  admirably  adapted  to 
every  branch  of  business."  —  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  U.S.A. 

MAJOR  GENERAL  JAMES  R.  CARNAHAN,  U.  R.  K. 
P.,  in  his  "  Pythian  Knighthood,"  commenting  on  the 
Rank,  says :  "The  establishment  of  the  Uniform  Rank 
marks  the  beginning  of  the  era  of  permanent  prosperity  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  In  the  Uniform  Rank  we  show  the  world 
a  complete  military  organization,  systematically  officered,  thor- 
oughly drilled,  that  might  in  case  of  need  be  utilized  as  a  means 
of  untold  good  in  the  defense  of  the  national  government,  and 
with  credit  to  the  order.  It  stands  not  only  as  the  representative 
of  a  fraternal  and  benevolent  organization,  but  it  also  proclaims 
citizenship  and  loyalty  to  the_constituted  authority." 

44.  The  Uniform   Rank  has  been   so   quietly, -though   surely, 
building  itself  up  in  numbers  and  perfection  since  its  institution 
that  when  the  late  war  with   Spain  broke  out,   and  the   Major 
General   offered   the   services   of  an   army   corps   of  25,000  well 
drilled  and  disciplined  men,  it  took  the  world  by  surprise.     Yet 
it  is  true  that  our  beloved  order  boasts  of  an  efficient  corps  of 
over  50,000  men,     uniformed,  officered  and  drilled  in  every  re- 
spect according  to  the  regulations  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  and  the 
Uniform  Rank  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  is  now  recognized  as 
one  of  the  reserve  forces  of  the  nation. 

45.  It  has  had  a  somewhat  peculiar  history.    In  1871  it  was  or- 
dered that  a  uniform  should  be  worn  by  all  Knights  of  Pythias. 
The  next  year  this  was  somewhat  modified  by  the  omission  of  the 
headdress.     Knight   James    Pettibone   then    designed    a    helmet 
which  was  adopted;   in   1876  more  changes  were  made.     These 
changes,  together  with  the  fact  that  no  order  had  been  given  as  to 
the  pattern  of  the  garments  or  as  to  the  shade  of  the  color,  led 


24  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

to  much  confusion ;  and  such  were  the  varieties  of  shades  and 
styles  of  dress  and  trimming  of  the  various  "  drill  corps,"  as  they 
were  then  called,  that  there  were  no  two  companies  alike.  The 
Supreme  Lodge  ordered  that  "cap,  baldric,  sword,  belt  and  cuffs" 
be  worn,  but  said  nothing  about  material  or  any  particular  shade 
of  the  colors,  which  were  to  be  blue  bordered  with  yellow.  Many 
corps  were  neatly  attired,  but  there  was  such  a  dissimilarity  of 
costumes  that  they  only  added  to  the  grotesqueness  of  the  as- 
sembly, and,  as  General  Carnahan  says  "the  ununiform  uniformed 
Drill  Corps  became  a  laughing  stock  to  kindred  organizations." 

46.  Great  activity,  however,  was  manifested  in  the  formation 
of  these  bodies,  and  in  the  Supreme  Lodge  of  1876  there  were 
presented  "  Rules  and  Regulations  for  the  formation  of  Uniform 
Division  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias."  This  resolution  was  re- 
ferred to  a  committee  who  reported  that  the  Constitution  did  not 
provide  for  such  a  Uniform  Rank.  In  the  next  year's  session  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Ohio  petitioned  that  a  higher  rank  or  ranks  be 
established,  wherein  no  member  should  be  admitted  without  hav- 
ing procured  the  uniform  of  the  order.  The  committee  to  whom 
it  was  referred  reported  favorably.  The  Supreme  Lodge  passed 
the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved,  that  the  Supreme  Chancellor  appoint  a  committee 
of  five  to  prepare  a  ritual,  constitution,  etc.,  for  the  proper  or- 
ganization of  such  higher  body,  under  the  control  of  the  Supreme 
Lodge,  into  which  the  rank  proposed  by  Representative  Forstone 
of  Ohio  be  incorporated."  The  committee  reported  with  the 
ritual  and  regulations  and  with  the  request  that  they  be  per- 
fected by  the  Supreme  Chancellor,  S.  Vice  Chancellor  and  S. 
Keeper  of  Records  and  Seal.  After  great  opposition  the  report 
was  laid  on  the  table  but  was  taken  up  again  the  same  day,  and 
referred  to  another  Committee.  This  second  committee,  after 
several  meetings,  completed  its  work,  and  on  Nov.  I,  1888,  the 
Supreme  Chancellor  promulgated  the  order  for  the  formation  of 
Divisions,  and  the  Uniform  Rank  started  on  its  course.  Gen. 
Carnahan,  who  from  the  first  was  one  of  the  most  persistent 
in  having  the  Rank  started,  and  has  ever  since  fostered  and 
protected  it,  is  spoken  of  as  its  founder. 


UNIFORM  RANK.  25 

The  first  Division  formed  was  Columbus  No.  I  of  Ohio.  It 
was  mustered  in  eight  days  after  the  promulgation  of  the  Su- 
preme Chancellor.  Rapidly  following  this  came  other  Divisions 
in  Ohio,  Indiana,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Missouri,  Michigan,  Penn- 
sylvania, New  York,  Minnesota,  and  Wyoming,  all  having  one  or 
more  Divisions  before  February  of  1879.  The  next  year  fifty-four 
were  reported. 

47.  From  this  time  on  this  Higher  Rank  of  the  order  has  in- 
creased in  popularity  and  strength  until  now  it  has  reached  such 
proportions  as  to  be  almost  too  unwieldy  to  be  governed  under 
its  present  system.    It  has  grown  to  manhood  and  is  restless  un- 
der the  petticoat  government  of  its  mother;   it  feels  restrained 
and  unable  to  branch  out  to  still  greater  dimensions ;  it  is  prac- 
tically at  a  standstill  for  lack  of  the  right  to  pass  its  own  laws 
and  be  independent.     It  is  the  earnest  desire  of  its  members  to 
occupy  the  same  relation  to  the  order  as  the  Knights  Templar 
does  to  Masonry.     And  why  should  it  not?     It  is  already  rec- 
ognized by  the  words  of  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  Supreme 
Lodge  as  of  a  Higher  Rank,  and  it  should  now  tc.ke  its  proper 
place  in  the  order. 

48.  The    report   of   the    Major   General   up   to   August,    1902, 
shows   that   there    were   then   906   companies    in   active    service, 
which   were   organized   into   99    regiments    and   these    regiments 
into  24  brigades ;  25  companies,  however,  were  unconnected  with 
either  regiments  or  brigades.     The  reports  says,  "  There  is  not 
a  page  in  all  the  history  of  the  Uniform  Rank  that  does  not  tell  of 
the  good  it  has  done  to  the  Pythian  cause.  There  is  not  a  brother 
in  the  Rank  that  is  not  thoroughly  loyal  to  the  best  interests 
of   his    lodge.      Can   you   have   a   greater   devotion   shown,   any 
greater  self-sacrifice  by  any  body  of  men  than  has  been  shown  by 
the  members  of  this  Rank  coming  all  the  way  across  the  conti- 
nent at  their  own  expense  in  order  to  add  glory  and  prowess 
to  the  Order?     How  many  of  your  representatives  will  do  this 
without  their  mileage  and  per  diem?" 


V* 
THE  ENDOWMENT    RANK 

"//  is  the  duty  of  every  Knight  to  provide  for  his  family  and 
those  dependent  upon  him." 

WHEN  the  Order  of  Knights  of  Pythias  was  first  insti- 
tuted benevolence  was  its  first  aim,  and  in  continuance 
of  this  thought .  a  life  insurance  plan  was  soon  de- 
veloped. As  early  as  1875  a  resolution  incorporating  an  Insurance 
Rank  was  introduced  to  the  Supreme  Lodge,  which  was  reported 
upon  the  following  year  and  tabled.  In  1877,  however,  the  sub- 
ject was  again  taken  up,  as  a  result  of  whicn  the  matter  was 
referred  to  a  'special  committee  which  was  ordered  to  report, 
"written  and  unwritten  work  for  a  Fourth  Rank  of  the  Order, 
with  provisions  for  Endowment."  By  Sept.  30,  1877,  this  commit- 
tee prepared  a  ritual  for  the  secret  work,  and  laws  to  govern  the 
financial  and  insurance  system  of  the  Rank.  On  Nov.  21,  1877,  the 
first  supplies  were  sent  from  the  office  of  the  Supreme  Mester 
of  Exchequer,  and  the  Rank  became  an  accomplished  fact. 

50.  At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Lodge,  in  1878,  it 
was    found    that    warrants    had   been    issued    for    235    sections, 
which  had  3,274  members  of  the  first  class,  and  5,356  members 
of  the   second   class.     The   Rank   was   in   charge   of   Bro.   John 
B.   Stumph,   S.   M.  of  E.     It  was  still  in  an  experimental  stage 
and  continued  so  until   1888,  when  an  entire  change  took  place 
in   its   management.    Previously  the   level   assessment  plan   held 
the  fort;  but  now  this  was  changed  to  a  graded  schedule,  and  an 
entirely  new  code  of  laws  took  the  place  of  the  old  ones. 

51.  Gradually,  step  by  step,  the  Rank  has  been  placed  upon 
a  sure  and  safe  footing,  and  now,  from  a  business,  as  well  as 
from  a  fraternal,  point  of  view,  it  is  one  of  the  safest  and  most 
thoroughly  organized  institutions  of  its  kind. 

In  conjunction  with  many  of  its  confreres,   it  has     had     its 


ENDOWMENT  RANK.  27 

drawbacks  and  troubles.  It  has  but  lately  rescued  itself  from 
the  throes  of  an  upheaval  that  for  a  time  threatened  its  life; 
but  happily,  through  the  staunch  support  of  the  whole  order,  it 
stands  now  on  a  firm  and  solid  foundation.  A  careful  search 
of  the  expenditures  of  the  Rank  during  the  past  years  shows 
marked  increase  without  a  similar  increase  in  its  income,  there- 
by causing  a  deficit.  There  were  two  reasons  for  this ;  an  error 
in  judgment  by  unwise  investments  and  the  paying  of  large  salar- 
ies and  bonuses  to  solicitors  of  insurance,  whose  salaries  ex- 
ceeded the  premiums  taken.  This,  however,  has  been  remedied, 
the  whole  deficit  wiped  out,  and  the  Rank  stands  today  in  a  bet- 
ter financial  condition  than  ever  before.  The  experience  of  the 
last  ten  years  has  been  of  such  benefit  to  it  that  the  Rank  will 
never  again  undergo  the  same  state  of  depression,  but  having 
been  purified  in  the  fire  will  forever  soar  to  the  glory  and 
honor  of  Pythian  Knighthood. 

52.  Such  is  the  confidence  reposed  in  the  Rank  that  its  mem- 
bership is  now  60,000,  carrying  endowments  of  over  $105,000,000. 
Its  resources  at  the  end  of  last  September    (1902)    were  $402,- 
417.20,   while   its   whole   liabilities  amounted   to   only  $189,485.47, 
leaving  a  net  balance  to  the  good  of  $212,932.12.     Of  this  sum 
$208,324.78    was    in    the    First    National    Bank    of    Chicago,    as 
shown  by  its  certificate.     A  better  state  of  affairs  could  hardly 
exist. 

53.  Great  credit  is   due  the  present  president  of  the   Board 
of   Control,  Bro.   C.   F.    S.   Neal,   for     having     so     successfully 
brought  the   Rank  to  its  present   state  of  prosperity.     Being  a 
component  part  of  the  Order  of  Knights  of  Pythias  it  deserves 
the  hearty  support  of  every  Knight,  and  that  the  Rank  is  grow- 
ing in  strength  month  by  month  is  a  sure  proof  that  it  holds 
the  confidence  of  the  order  in  general  and  that  its  certificates 
are    held    to    be    safe    and    secure.      Every    safeguard    has   been 
thrown  around  its  affairs,  and  all  who  have  the  handling  if  its 
funds  are  bound  by  bonds  issued  by  a  reliable  Surety  Company. 


THE    RATHBONE   SISTERS 

"  The  basic  principle  of  our  order  is  Love  —  that  principle 
which,  if  developed  to  its  utmost,  would  leave  no  room  for 
differences."  —  Belle  Quinlan,  Supreme  Chief. 

SOON  after  the  Order  of  the. Knights  of  Pythias  had  be- 
come assured,  the  wives  and  daughters  of  its  members  de- 
termined to  institute  a  ladies'  lodge  in  connection  with  it; 
and  as  early  as  1871  a  petition  was  sent  into  the  Supreme  Lodge 
for  its  institution,  and  again  in  1872,  but  in  both  instances  the 
petitions  were  tabled.  It  was  not  until  the  session  of  1888  that 
anything  definite  was  done. 

55.  Just  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Lodge 
the  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Connecticut  was  held,  and 
the  following  resolution  was  introduced : 

"  Resolved,  that  our  Supreme  Representatives  use  their  ut- 
most endeavors  at  the  session  of  the  Supreme  Lodge  to  secure 
such  legislation  as  will  result  in  the  speedy  establishment  of  the 
ladies'  rank  of  the  order." 

The  question  was  vigorously  discussed  between  the  time  of 
this  meeting  and  that  of  the  Supreme  Lodge  which  met  at 
Cincinnati  on  June  12,  1888.  The  Supreme  Lodge  had  been 
severely  censured  for  so  often  declaring  "  it  was  inexpedient." 
But  again  great  efforts  were  made  on  behalf  of  the  sisters  and 
once  more  the  question  was  formally  taken  up.  A  ritual  for 
the  proposed  rank  was  presented  by  the  representative  of  In- 
diana which  had  been  prepared  by  Past  Chancellor  Hill  of  the 
same  domain.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  deal  with  the 
subject,  which  committee  reported  in  favor  of  allowing  wives, 
mothers,  widows,  sisters  and  daughters  of  Knights  of  Pythias 
in  good  standing  to  establish  a  society  to  be  known  as  the 
Order  of  Pythian  Sisterhood.  The  committee  reported  that  it 
was  not  practicable  to  create  a  ladies'  rank  in  the  Order  of 


RATHBONE  SISTERS.  29 

Knights  of  Pythias,  and  that  the  ladies  could  better  control 
their  own  order.  The  report  was  adopted  and  Hill's  ritual  rec- 
ommended. 

56.  This    semi-recognition    was    all    that   could   be    obtained. 
The  first  temple  was  instituted  on  Oct.  23,  1888,  at  Warsaw,  Ind., 
by  Bro.  Hill,  the  founder.     So  great  had  been  its  success  that 
June  in  the  next  year    saw  the  first  Grand  Temple  organized  in 
the  same  state.     By  the  following  Sept  igth,  Ohio  also  had  its 
Grand  Temple.     About  a  week  after  this  Bro.  Hill  sent  out  a 
call    for   representatives    from    the    Grand    Temples,    and    from 
Temples   in   States   having  no   Grand  Temples,   to   meet   at  In- 
dianapolis for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  Supreme  Temple.     On 
Oct.  16,  1889,  the  assembly  took  place  and  the  Supreme  Temple 
was  instituted,  a  code  of  laws  was  adopted,  and  the  right  and 
title   of  the   ritual,   paraphernalia,    etc.,   was    transferred  by   the 
founder  to  the  Supreme  Temple. 

57.  Up  to  1894  the  title  of  the   Pythian  Sisters  remained  as 
quoted,  but  as  the  Supreme  Lodge,  K.  P.,  forbade  any  Knight 
of    Pythias    to   become    affiliated    with    the    Pythian    Sisterhood, 
since  it  was  a  society  using  its  name  and  which  was  unauthorized 
by  and  unconnected  with  the  order,   its  name  was  changed  to 
that  of  the  "  Rathbone  Sisters." 

58.  The  order  has  now  been  in  existence  some  fourteen  years, 
and   under  the   admirable   administration   of   the    sisters    it   has 
grown  to   large   dimensions.     On  Dec.   31,   1901,   there  were  21 
Grand  Temples  having  jurisdiction  over  1064  Subordinate  Tem- 
ples.     Since   then,   and    up   to   June,    1902,   two   Grand   Temple's 
and  five  Subordinate  Temples  have  been  added.     Besides  these 
there  are  65  of  the  latter  owing  allegiance  direct  to  the  Supreme 
Temple,   making   a   total   of    1134   Subordinates,   having   a   total 
membership  of  65,718. 

Not  to  be  behind  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Sisters  have 
their  Endowment  Rank  called  "  The  Rathbone  Sisters'  Endow- 
ment Branch "  which  is  in  a  very  flourishing  condition  and 
under  their  full  control.  They  ha.ve  had  no  drawbacks  such 
as  the  Knights  have  had,  nor  is  it  probable  that  they  ever  will 
have.  Whatever  the  Sisters  have  undertaken  has  been  carried 


30  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

to  a  complete  success.  They  have  thus  shown  their  capability 
of  managing  the  affairs  of  their  order,  and  it  is  fully  time  that 
the  Rathbone  Sisters  be  recognized  officially  as  a  "  Componenf 
part  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias." 

59.  The  benefits  derived  from  the  Sisters  by  the  local  lodges 
arc  inestimable.     Sister  Pringle,  Grand  Chief  of  California,  says 
on  this  subject:     "The  beautiful  lessons  taught  in  the  Rathbone 
Sisters'   work,   the  broad,   true   principles   of   living,   cannot  but 
make  every  nature  better  that  is  brought  in  contact  with  them, 
if  the  heart  is  at  all  receptive  of  truth.     For  this  reason,  then, 
if    for   no    other,   women    should    desire    to    enter   and   maintain 
such   an   opportunity   for   mental  and   spiritual   growth,   and   the 
Knights   of   Pythias,   knowing  the   good   that   comes   from   their 
own  noble  lessons,  ought  to  appreciate  these  efforts  of  woman 
to   create   for  herself  a   society  that  will  be  a   means   of  better 
living   and   greater   improvement,   and   whatever   makes   the   in- 
dividual  better  has   a    direct   influence   upon   the   home   and   the 
home  life." 

To  detail  all  the  unobtrusive  acts  of  kindness  and  love 
performed  by  the  sisters  would  fill  volumes,  for  their  deeds  of 
goodness  are  many;  so  o>ften  have  the  afflicted  and  sorrowing, 
the  poor  and  needy  received  their  consolation  and  assistance, 
and  the  world  been  none  the  wiser;  for  the  Rathbone  Sisters 
do  not  "  let  their  left  hand  know  what  their  right  hand  doeth," 
nor  do  they  "  wear  their  hearts  upon  their  sleeves  for  daws  to 
peck  at." 

60.  The  following  is  .quoted  from  the  report  of  the  committee 
on  Fraternal  Review  given  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the   Domain 
of    California : 

"The  Rathbone  Sisters  have  not  been  mentioned  in  many  cf 
the  journals.  Some  of  our  most  pleasam  evenings  have  been 
spent  in  their  Temples.  This  is  another  social  adjunct  of  our 
order  and  has  assisted  in  bringing  many  a  worthy  fellow  into 
our  ranks.  The  Sisterhood  is  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping 
hand  whenever  it  is  po'ssible  to  advance  the  interests  of  our 
order.  Why,  then,  should  -  they  not  be  recognized  officially? 
Give  this  quiet  study  and  'see  to  it,  brothers,  that  they  are 
recognized." 


vn. 

THE  DRAMATIC   ORDER  OF  THE   KNIGHTS  OF 
KHORASSAN 

"Heaven    lies   about   us    in    our   infancy,    and    the   world   'lies' 
about  us  when  we  are  grown  up."  —  Khorassan  Maxims. 

ITS  OBJECTS  :  —  Friendship,  Brotherly  Love,  and  Good  Fellow- 
ship. 

ITS   MERITS:  —  Carrying  out  its  object  and  purpose. 

ITS  STRENGTH  :  —  Knowing  they  are  commendable  and  worthy 
of  support. 

THE  Dramatic  Order  of  the  Knights  of  Khorassan  is 
neither  a  higher,  side,  nor  branch  rank  of  the  Order  of 
Knights  of  Pythias,  but  membership  in  a  lodge  of  that 
order  is  necessary  before  one  can  become  a  member  of  the 
Dramatic  Order.  It  was  organized  in  1894  at  Milwaukee 
in  order  to  cultivate  the  social  side  of  life,  and  as  an  aid  for 
members  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  each  other  than  is  possible  in  the  lodge  room;  it  forms 
the  meeting  ground  upon  which  members  may  meet  without 
the  usual  routine  of  business,  thus  breaking  down  the  barriers 
that  very  often  exist  between  members  of  different  lodges. 
It  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  Knights  that  the  "Mystic 
Shrine"  does  to  the  Masons.  It  is  not  a  branch  of  the 
order  in  any  respect,  but  in  such  favor  is  it  held  by  the  members 
that  it  has  grown  in  six  years  to  a  membership  of  about 
18,000,  distributed  among  the  116  temples  that  have  now  been 
instituted.  It  presents  an  opportunity  for  those  who  enjoy 
a  Dramatic  ritual  to  spend  an  occasional  evening  in  association 
with  kindred  spirits,  wherein  to  participate  in  cere- 
monies enlivening,  entertaining,  and  provocative  of  amusement. 
62.  Its  initiation  is  new  and  pleasing,  and  is  performed  in  a 


32  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

dramatic  manner  by  dramatic  characters.  The  ceremony  is 
beautiful,  refined  in  thought  and  amusing  in  form.  It  is  entirely 
free  from  all  vulgarity  and  degenerating  practices,  intended  only 
for  gentlemen  —  to  whom,  and  to  none  others,  it  extends  an  in- 
vitation. 

63.  The   regular  Knights  of   Pythias   organization  represents 
the   Fraternal;    the   Uniform   Rank,    the    Military;   tBe   Endow- 
ment Rank,  the  Protective;  and  the  Dramatic  Order  Knights  of 
Khorassan,  the  Social  side  of  life  —  the  one  thing  that  had  been 
neglected. 

64.  The  following  may  be  taken  as  a  sample  of  the  invitation 
sent  out  by  the  D.  O.  K.  K.  : 

"  Incline  youi  ear  to  the  whisperings  of  the  Prophet  while 
he  saith,  'The  hot  winds  of  the  summer  have  gone  to  sleep  and 
the  alkali  dust  no  longer  fills  the  air  on  our  beloved  desert;  the 
early  autumn  showers  have  macle  the  Oasis  to  bloom  again;  our 
camels  and  asses  have  withstood  the  drought,  and  their  young 
are  frisking  on  a  thousand  hills.  Abide  in  our  tents  and  see 
how  we  graze  our  camels  and  feed  our  votaries,  giving  them 
strength  to  overcome  the  Tiger's  claws. 

"  We  are  brothers  all  of  the  desert  sands, 

Though  our  tracks  lie  far  apart, 
We  meet  on  the  road  with  outstretched  hands, 

With  the  warmth  of  an  Orient  heart." 

"A  few  thoughts  expressed  expressly  for  your  guidance: 

"  Leave  your  latch  key  at  home ;   you  won't  need  it 
"  Say  good  bye  to  wife  and  babies ;  you  may  never  return. 
"  Wear  your  best  clothes :  they'll  be  '  worst '  enough  after- 
wards. 

"  Bring  no  arnica  or  witch  hazel,  we'll  provide  all  necessities. 
"  Don't  come  without  your  appetite  :  we'll  '  wet '  it. 

'Allah  be  praised.'" 


D.  O.  K.  K.  33 

KHORASSAN    MAXIMS: 

65.  Virtue  is  its  own  reward. 
Policy  is  the  best  honesty. 
Many  hands  like  light  work. 

A  bird  in  the  hand  lays  no  eggs. 
The  wages  of  sin  is  debt. 
A  pitch  in  time  saves  nine. 
Osculation  is  the  thief  of  time. 
Every  dogma  must  have  its   days. 

A  thirsty  man  will  catch  at  a  straw. 
It  is  not  good  for  a  man  to  give  a  loan. 
Straws  show  which  way  the  gin  goes. 
The  lack  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil. 
It's  a  wise  child  that  owes  its  own  father. 

66.  Yet  with  all  this  fun  and  frolic  the  under  stratum  of  its 
work  is  elevating  and  instructive,  and  every  Pythian  can  learn 
good  lessons   from  its  ritual,  since  its  tendency  is  to  build  up 
the  moral  and  mental  standard  of  those  who  become  members. 
Although   full   of   fun   there   is   nothing   which   approaches   vul- 
garity, and  therefore  no  one  demeans  himself  in  his  own  esti- 
mation, nor  that  of  his  brothers. 

This  social  rank  is  worthy  of  the  support  of  all  good  and 
true  Pythians. 

It  is  the  warmest  society  that  has  crossed  the  Sands  of  the 
Desert,  or  singed  a  candidate  for  many  decades.  . 

And  for  all  good  things  let  Allah  be  praised. 


vra. 

THE  STORY  OF  DAMON  AND  PYTHIAS 

"As  the  sacred  temples  are  the  places  of  religious  rites,  so  the 
faithful  hearts  of  such  men  are  like  temples  filled  by  a 
special  divine  influence."  —  Valerius  Ma.rimus. 

THE  question  is  often  asked,  "Who  were  Damon  and 
Pythias?  Were  there  ever  such  men  living,  and  if  so, 
then  why  do  we  'not  read  of  them  in  history?"  It  is 
in  answer  to  this  that  the  following  short  sketch  is  written.  His- 
tory only  records  events  that  affect  the  whole  country  of  which 
it  treats,  and  the  reason  we  do  not  read  of  these  two  of  nature's 
noblemen  is,  that  the  event  which  made  them  famous  was  of  a 
private  nature  and  unconnected  with  the  history  of  the  times. 
The  incident  would  never  have  been  known  had  not  Dionysius 
the  Younger,  after  his  exile  to  Greece,  entertained  his  friends 
there  with  the  story.  For  him  to  have  thought  it  worth  while 
to  relate  the  event  at  all,  shows  that  at  the  time  it  must  have 
created  a  profound  impression  upon  all  who  saw  or  heard  of  it. 
It  certainly  excited  the  admiration  of  those  to  whom  Dionysius 
told  it.  Among  his  hearers  was  Aristoxenus,  a  voluminous 
writer,  whose  works  have  been  lost,  and  we  only  know  of  them 
by  their  being  quoted  by  other  and  later  writers,  and  thus  did 
the  story  of  Damon  and  Pythias  come  down  to  us, 

68.  There  are  two  phases  of  this  story,  one  of  fiction  and  the 
other  of  history.  The  fictious  phase  is  in  the  form  of  a  drama 
written  by  John  Bannine,  an  Irishman,  and  first  produced  in 
London  at  Court  Garden  Theatre,  on.  May  28th,  1821.  In  it  the 
main  facts  are  adhered  to  and  followed  to  the  end ;  but  it  is 
hedged  about  with  all  the  license  that  poets  and  playwriters  are 
allowed.  Consequently  we  have  an  account  so  garbled  by  omis- 
sion here  and  addition  there,  that  it  is  doubtless  far  from  being 
the  original  story;  but,  as  it  was  from  this  narrative  of  Damon 


DAMON    AND    PYTHIAS  35 

and  Pythias  that  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias  took  its  rise, 
we  will  first  give  the  story  as  contained  in  the  drama,  and  then 
tell  what  Aristoxenus  said  while  quoting  Dionysius. 

DAMON    AND   PYTHIAS    IN    FICTION. 

69.  In  the  summer  of  the  year  405  B.  C.  three  friends,  Publius, 
Vecius  and  Caius,  met  in  the  streets  of  Syracuse  and  discussed 
the  question  that  was  occupying  the  minds  of  all.  the  rumor  tnat 
the  life  of  Dionysius  was  threatened,  and  that  a  bodyguard  for 
him  had  been  recommended.  Caius  reminded  the  others  that 
the  bodyguard  would  be  against  the  law.  In  the  course  of  the 
conversation,  Caius  informed  them  that  an  officer  had  been  seen 
trying  to  bribe  some  private  soldiers  to  bind  themselves  to  the 
persorfal  service  of  Dionysius,  and  that  Damon,  a  Senator,  who 
happened  to  be  standing  behind  a  pillar,  overheard  these  remarks, 
and,  stepping  forward,  charged  the  plotter  with  treachery  to  the 
state.  This  occasioned  a  bitter  quarrel,  which  might  have  had  a 
serious  ending  had  not  Pythias,  an  officer  of  the  Army  and  a 
friend  of  Damon,  approached  and  diverted  it  by  wise  counsel. 
The  next  day  dawned  fair  and  beautiful.  In  one  household  there 
were  early  risers,  for  it  was  the  wedding  day  of  Pythias  and 
Calanthe.  The  bride  had  risen  at  the  first  flush  of  day  and  was 
standing  gazing  at  the  beauties  of  the  scenes  around  her,  when 
her  maids  came  to  prepare  her  for  the  nuptials.  They  cast  aside 
her  maiden  robes,  put  on  her  garments  of  wifehood,  and  led  her 
to  meet  the  bridegroom. 

In  the  meantime,  Damon  had  passed  a  sleepless  night,  busy 
with  thoughts  of  his  country's  dangers.  Liberty  was  threatened, 
the  rights  of  the  people  violated,  and  the  law  set  at  naught.  He 
felt,  as  one  of  the  guardians  of  state,  that  he  ought  to  warn  all 
his  fellow  senators  against  the  demand  of  the  tyrant  Dionysius 
for  an  armed  guard,  even  if  it  cost  him  his  life. 

Having  made  up  his  mind,  he  serenely  took  his  accustomed 
place  in  the  Senate  and  awaited  events.  The  usual  routine  of 
business  having  been  completed,  the  motion  was  proposed  that 
Dionysius  be  allowed  a  bodyguard.  Damon  then  arose,  and,  in  a 
most  eloquent  speech,  denounced  the  proposition  as  against  the 
law,  and  called  upon  his  fellow  senators  to  uphold  the  law  and 


36  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

stay  this  peril;  "Beat  back  this  usurping  force  and  let  ambition 
hide  its  head  when  freemen  speak."  Dionysius  stopped  him, 
sent  him  to  prison  and  condemned  him  to  death.  Then  there 
arose  a  cry  through  the  tumult  that  ensued,  and  Pythias  forced 
his  way  through  the  crowd  to  the  tyrant,  and  told  him  that  as 
he  stood  by  the  altar  waiting  for  the  words  which  were  to  make 
Calanthe  his  wife,  he  heard  that  Damon  was  to  die,  and  had 
hastened  hither,  for  he  was  Damon's  friend.  He  begged  the 
tyrant  to  grant  Damon  time  to  see  his  wife  and  child  before  he 
should  die,  and  offered  himself  as  a  hostage  for  his  friend's 
safe  return.  After  hesitating  for  some  time  to  grant  this  mad 
request,  as  he  deemed  it,  for,  he  said,  "Friendship  is  bought  and 
sold  by  special  favor,"  Dionysius  gave  Damon  six  hours  respite, 
Pythias  being  bound  and  sent  to  prison. 

Soon  afterward,  while  under  the  peaceful  influence  of  his 
benevolent  thoughts,  Pythias  was  visited  in  his  prison  by  Dio- 
nysius, who  entered  in  disguise  and  called  himself  Fannius.  He 
told  Pythias  that  Damon  would  not  come  back,  that  his  child's 
tears  would  keep  him  at  home,  but  that  he,  Fannius,  would  help 
him  to  escape.  Pythias  answered,  "Lighter  would  be  your  task 
to  stay  tomorrow's  sun  than  for  Damon  to  break  his  pledged 
word,"  and  "As  free  from  peril  do  I  stand  as  a  babe  that 
sleeps  on  his  mother's  breast." 

Seeing  that  he  could  do  nothing  alone,  Dionysius  sent  Ca- 
lanthe to  urge  her  lover  to  escape.  For  this  purpose  he  placed  a 
ship  at  her  disposal,  and  told  her  that  he  had  ordered  his 
guards  to  prevent  Damon's  return.  But  all  to  no  purpose; 
Pythias  would  not  break  his  word.  "Honor  was  more  to  him 
than  life." 

The  time  draws  near — is  at  hand — and  Damon  Has  not  re- 
turned !  The  headsman's  axe  is  uplifted,  when  there  is  a  shout 
from  the  populace,  and  Damon  comes  running  just  in  time  to 
save  his  friend.  Damon's  servant  had  slain  his  horse  to  prevent 
his  return. 

70.  Such  is  the  story  as  told  in  fiction,  and  now  let  us  hear 
what  history  has  to  say.  As  before  stated,  the  historic  accounts 
are  all  taken  from  the  writings  of  Aristoxenus,  who  received 


DAMON    AND    PYTHTAS.  37 

the  story  from  Dionysius  the  Younger,  son  of  the  Dionysius  of 
the  story,  who  became  tyrant  after  his  father's  death,  but  was 
afterwards  deposed  and  exiled  to  Greece.  Here  he  met  Aris- 
toxenus,  to  whom  he  told  the  story  of  Pythagora's,  and  who  had 
retold  it  in  a  book,  which  has  long  been  lost,  but  which  was 
still  in  existence  as  late  as  the  time  of  Julian  the  Apostate,  Em- 
peror of  Rome,  which  reign  was  during  the  lifetime  of 
lamblicus. 

DAMON    AND    PYTHIAS    OF    HISTORY. 

71.  The  translations  below  will  tell  their  own  story.    They  are 
copied  'in  full,  by  the  kind  permission  of  Gen.  J.  R.  Carnahan,  U. 
R.  K.  P.,  from  "Pythian  Knighthood."     The  first  was  written  in 
Latin  by  Cicero,  who  lived  in  the  first  century,  B.  C.    He  says, 

"Damon  and  Pythias,  two  of  the  followers  of  Pythagoras, 
were  so  closely  attached  to  each  other  that  when  Dionysius,  the 
Tyrant,  ordered  one  of  them  put  to  death  on  a  certain  day,  and 
the  party  condemned  begged  respite  for  a  few  days,  so  that  he 
might  go  home  to  attend  to  his  own  before  he  should  die,  the 
other  voluntarily  became  his  substitute,  to  die  in  his  place  if 
he  did  not  appear.  At  the  time  appointed  the  condemned  re- 
turned to  meet  his  fate.  Thereupon  the  tyrant  was  so  much 
amazed  at  their  extraordinary  fidelity  that  he  sought  to  be  ad- 
mitted as  a  third  in  their  friendship." 

On  another  occasion   Cicero   writes, — 

"  How  low  was  the  estimate  which  Dion)rsius  placed  upon 
those  friendships  which  he  feared  would  fail,  he  shows  by  what 
he  says  of  those  two  disciples  of  Pythagoras,  Damon  and  Pythias, 
for,  when  he  accepted  one  of  them  as  a  substitute  for  the  other, 
who  was  doomed  to  die,  and  when  the  other,  to  redeem  his 
surety's  life,  had  promptly  returned  at  the  hour  appointed  for 
the  execution,  Dionysius  said  to  them,  'Would  that  I  could  be 
enrolled  as  your  third  friend/  How  unhappy  was  Dionysius' 
lot  to  be  thus  deprived  of  the  communion  of  friends,  the  social 
intercourse  an^  familiar  converse  of  daily  life." — Cicero,  Tus- 
culan,  Bk.  V.,  Ch.  22. 

72.  The    second   historian   to   write   this    story   was    Diodorus 


38  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

Siculus,  a  Greek,  who  wrote  after  Cicero  and  a  little  before  the 
time  of  Christ,  and  like  Cicero,  probably  took  his  account  from 
Aristoxenus.  He  says : 

"Phintias,  a  certain  Pythagorean,  having  conspired  against 
the  Tyrant,  was  about  to  suffer  the  penalty  He  sought  from  Di- 
onysius  an  opportunity  to  arrange  his  private  affairs  as  he  de- 
sired and  he  said  that  he  would  give  one  of  his  friends  as  surety 
for  himself.  As  the  despot  wondered  whether  there  was  such  a 
friend,  who  would  put  himself  in  the  Bastile  in  his  stead, 
Phintias  called  a  certain  one  of  his  companions,  Damon  by  name, 
a  Pythagorean  philosopher,  who,  nothing  doubting,  immediately 
became  substitute  for  Phintias.  Thereupon  some  commended 
the  extravagant  regard  existing  between  these  friends,  while 
others,  indeed,  condemned  the  rashness  and  folly  of  the  sub- 
stitute. 

"Now,  at  the  appointed  time,  all  the  people  assembled,  eager 
to  see  whether  he  who  had  made  this  recognizance  would  keep 
his  pledge.  Indeed,  the  hour  was  already  drawing  to  a  close, 
and  all  had  given  up  Damon  in  despair  when  Phintias,  having 
accomplished  his  purpose,  came  running  at  full  speed  at  the 
turn  of  the  critical  moment,  just  as  Damon  was  being  led  away 
to  execution.  At  this  manifestation  of  a  most  remarkable  friend- 
ship Dionysius  revoked  the  sentence,  pardoned  all  concerned 
and  called  on  the  men,  Damon  and  Phintias,  to  receive  himself  as 
a  third  into  tKeir  friendship." — Diod.  Bk.  X,  Ch.  4. 

73.  Valerius  Maximus,  a  Roman  historian,  contemporary  with 
Diodorus,  writes  as  follows : 

"Damon  and  Pythias,  having  been  initiated  into  the  'sacred 
rites  of  the  Pythagorean  society,  were  united  together  by  such 
strong  friendship  that  when  Dionysius,  the  Syracusan,  proposed 
to  kill  one  of  them,  and  he  had  obtained  from  him  a  respite, 
by  which,  before  he  should  die,  he  might  return  home  and 
arrange  his  affairs,  the  other  did  not  hesitate  to  become  surety 
for  his  return  to  the  tyrant.  He  who  was  free  from  danger  of 
death  in  this  way  submitted  his  neck  to  the  sword;  he  who  was 
allowed  to  live  in  security  risked  his  head  for  his  friend.  There- 
fore all,  and  especially  Dionysius,  watched  the  result  of  this  new 


DAMON    AND    PYTHIAS.  39 

and  uncertain  affair.  When  the  appointed  day  approached  and  he 
did  not  return  everyone  condemned  the  surety  for  his  rash  folly; 
but  he  declared  that  for  himself  he  did  not  at  all  doubt  the 
constancy  of  his  friend.  However,  at  this  moment,  even  at  the 
hour  determined  by  Dionysitis,  he  who  had  received  the  respite 
returned. 

"The  tyrant,  admiring  the  disposition  of  both,  remitted  the 
punishment  of  the  friend,  and,  moreover,  he  requested  that  they 
would  receive  him  into  their  society  of  friendship,  as  a  third 
member  of  the  brotherhood,  as  the  greatest  kindness  and  honor. 
Such  friendship,  indeed,  begets  contempt  for  death,  is  able  to 
break  the  charm  of  life,  to  make  the  savage  gentle,  to  repay 
punishment  with  kindness,  and  to  transform  hatred  into  love.  It 
merits  almost  as  much  reverence  as  the  sacred  rites  of  the 
immortal  gods ;  for  while  these  preserve  public  safety,  that 
conserves  private  good,  and  as  sacred  temples  are  the  places  of 
religious  rites,  so  the  faithful  hearts  of  such  men  are  like 
temples  filled  by  a  special  divine  influence." — Valerius  Maximus, 
Liber  XIV,  Ch.  7,  E*t.  i. 

74.  Porphyry,  a  Greek  philosopher,  who  wrote  in  the  third  cen- 
tury after  Christ,  and  who  says  he  followed  the  account  of 
Aristoxenus,  as  quoted  by  Nicomachus,  a  Pythagorean  of  Gerasa, 
who  wrote  during  the  reign  of  Emperor  Tiberius,  writes  the 
next  account. 

"Pity,  and  tears,  and  all  such,  these  men,  Damon  and  Pythias, 
excite;  this  certainly  is  admitted.  Now  this  is  the  account,  as  well 
of  the  flattery,  and  of  the  entreaty,  and  of  the  prayer,  and  of  all 
such  as  these.  When  on  a  certain  occasion  some  having  said 
that  when  the  Pythagoreans  were  apprehended  they  did  net 
stand  to  their  pledge  to  one  another,  Dionysius,  wishing  to  make 
trial  of  them,  thus  arranged:  Phintias  was  seized  ?nd  brought 
before  the  tyrant ;  then  accused  that  he  had  conspired  against 
him;  indeed,  he  was  convicted  of  this  and  it  was  determined  to 
put  Kim  to  death.  Then  he  (Phintias)  spake,  that  since  it  had 
thus  happened  to  him,  at  least  the  rest  of  the  day  should 
be  given  him,  in  order  that  he  might  arrange  his  own 
private  affairs,  and  also  those  of  Damon,  who  was  a  companion 


40  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

and  co-partner  with  himself,  and  he,  being  the  elder,  much  of 
what  concerned  the  management  of  their  business  was  referred 
to  him.  When  asked  that  a  substitute  be  furnished  he  offered 
Damon,  and  Dionysius,  having  consented  to  this,  sent  for  Damon, 
who,  having  heard  what  had  happened,  became  surety  and  re- 
mained until  Phintias  had  returned.  Then,  indeed,  Dionysius 
was  astonished  at  these  results.  But  they,  who  from  the 
beginning  had  prosecuted  the  trial,  jeered  Damon  as  having  been 
entrapped.  Yet,  when  it  was  about  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
Phintias  came  back  to  be  put  to  death.  At  this  all  were  as- 
tonished. Then  Dionysius,  having  embraced  and  kissed  the 
friends,  requested  them  to  receive  him  as  a  third  into  their 
friendship ;  but  though  he  very  earnestly  besought  it,  they  would 
by  no  means  agree  to  such,  request.  This  much,  indeed,  Aris- 
toxenus  declared  he  had  heard  from  Dionysius  himself  (meaning 
Dionysius  the  Younger)."  —  Porphyry,  Life  of  Pythagoras. 

75.  The  fifth  and  last  writer  to  quote  this  story  is  lamblicus, 
a  Greek  and  a  pupil  of  Porphyry,  who  also  wrote  a  life  of  Pytha- 
goras ;  he  derived  his  version  also  from  Aristoxenus.  He  lived 
in  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate,  Emperor  of  Rome,  A.  D.  361- 

363. 

"  When  Dionysius.  having  been  expelled  from  his  tyranny, 
came  to  Corinth,  he  often  entertained  us  with  the  particulars 
touching  the  Pythagoreans,  Phintia's  and  Damon,  and  the  circum- 
stances under  which  one  became  surety  for  the  other  in  a  case  of 
death.  He  s?id  that  some  of  those  who  were  familiar  with  them 
frequently  misrepresented  the  Pythagoreans,  defaming  and  revil- 
ing them,  stigmatizing  them  as  imposters,  and  saying  that  their 
temperance,  their  gravity  and  their  confidence  in  one  another  were 
assumed,  and  that  this  would  become  apparent  if  any  one  should 
place  them  in  distress  or  surround  them  with  disaster.  Others 
denied  this,  and  contention  arising  on-  the  subject,  recourse  was 
had  to  artifice. 

"  One  of  the  prosecutors  accused  Phintias  to  his  face  of  havirg 
conspired  with  others  against  the  life  of  Dionysius,  and  this  was 
testified  to  by  those  present,  and  wa.s  made  to  appear  exceedingly 


DAMON    AND    PYTHIAS.  41 

probable.  Phintias  was  astonished  by  the  accusation,  but  when 
Dionysius  declared  unequivocally  that  he  had  carefully  investi- 
gated the  affair  and  that  Phintias  should  die,  Phintias  replied, 
that  since  it  had  fallen  to  him  to  be  thus  accused,  he  desired  that 
at  least  the  rest  of  the  day  might  be  allowed  to  him,  so  that  he 
might  arrange  his  own  affairs  and  also  those  of  Damon ;  for  these 
men  collected  the  vintage  from  all  around  into  wine  cellars,  and 
disposed  of  it  in  common,  and  Phintias,  being  the  elder,  had  as- 
sumed, for  the  most  part,  the  management  of  their  domestic  con- 
cerns. He  therefore  requested  the  tyrant  to  allow  him  to  depart 
for  this  purpose,  and  named  Damon  for  his  surety.  Dionysius 
was  surprised  at  his  request  and  asked  whether  there  was  such 
a  man  who  would  risk  death  by  becoming  surety  for  another. 
So  Phintias  requested  him  to  send  for  Damon,  who,  on  hear- 
ing what  had  taken  place,  said  he  would  become  sponsor  for 
Phintias,  and  that  he  would  remain  there  until  Phintias  returned. 
Dionysius  was  deeply  impressed  by  these  results;  but 
those  who  introduced  the  experiment  derided  Damon,  as  being 
left  at  the  lurch,  and  mocking  him,  said  that  he  would  be  devoted 
as  a  stag  to  sacrifice.  But  when  it  was  already  about  sundown 
Phintias  came  back  to  be  put  to  death,  at  which  all  that  were 
present  were  astonished  and  overpowered.  Whereupon  Dionysius, 
having  embraced  and  kissed  the  friends,  requested  that  they 
would  receive  him  as  a  third  into  their  friendship,  but  they  would 
by  no  means  consent  to  such  a  thing,  although  he  earnestly  be- 
sought it. 

"  Now,  indeed,  Aristoxenus  relates  these  things  as  having 
learned  them  from  Dionysius  himself." — lamblicus,  Life  of  Pyth- 
agoras, p.  233. 

76.  In  summing  up  these  accounts  we  find  that  Damon  and 
Pythias  were  partners,  conducting  the  business  of  wine  merchants 
in  Syracuse.  Pythias  was  the  managing  partner  and  had  charge 
of  the  books  and  accounts.  In  all  probability  they  were  both 
bachelors  and  belonged  to  the  Pythagorean  Brotherhood.  Dionys- 
ius, wishing  to  test  their  sincerity  of  the  professed  friendship, 
arranged  to  have  a  false  charge  of  treason  served  upon  Pythias. 
When,  having  been  tried  and  sentenced  to  death,  he  asked  per- 


42  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

mission  to  have  the  rest  of  the  day  to  put  his  business  affairs 
in  order,  and  offered  Damon  as  an  hostage  during  the  time, 
Damon  was  called,  and  learning  the  reason,  gladly  offered  him- 
self. It  does  not  appear  that  he  was  imprisoned  or  otherwise 
mistreated.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  Pythias  returned,  and  Dionys- 
ius  not  only  granted  free  pardon,  but  asked  them  both  to  re- 
ceive him  as  their  friend,  too. 

In  the  above  accounts  it  was  Pythias  who  was  condemned  to 
death,  and  not  Damon,  as  is  given  in  the  drama,  and  while  the 
play  makes  Damon  a  married  man,  Cicero  and  the  other  histo- 
rians say  that  both  were  bachelors. 


IX. 
THE  LIFE  OF  PYTHAGORAS 

"  Dear    youth,    I    warn    you    cherish    peace    (Civine 
4nd   in  your  hearts   lay   deep    these  words   of  mine." 

— From  -a  sacred  song  of  Pythagoras. 

DIOGENES  LAERTIUS,  who  is  believed  to  have  lived 
about  the  end  of  the  second  century  of  our  era,  gives  a 
fuller  account  of  the  life  of  Pythagoras  than  any  other  of 
the  ancient  writers.  He  says  that  there  were  four  men  of  that 
name  living  at  or  near  the  same  time.  One  was  a  native  of  Cro- 
tona,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  ruler,  for  he  gained  great  tyran- 
nical power ;  a  second  was  a  Phliasian,  an  athlete  and  a  trainer  of 
wrestlers ;  another  was  a  native  of  Zacinthus,  while  the  fourth  was 
"this  our  philosopher  to  whom  belong  the  Mysteries  of  Philosophy, 
and  in  whose  time  that  proverbial  phrase  *  Ipse  dixit'  was  first 
introduced  into  ordinary  life." 

Men  of  the  same  name  are  also  mentioned,  too,  by  other  writ- 
ers, among  whom  we  find  a  sculptor  of  Rhodes,  another  sculp- 
tor of  Samos;  an  orator  of  no  mean  reputation;  a  physician  who 
wrote  a  treatise  on  squills  and  essay  on  Homer;  and  a  historian 
of  the  Dorian  Greeks. 

78.  Pythagoras  was  a  man  gifted  with  a  great  thirst  for 
knowledge ;  a  great  reformer,  and  a  "  wonder  worker."  One  of 
his  biographers  describes  him  as  being  the  favorite,  and  even 
the  son,  of  Apollo,  from  whom  he  received  his  doctrines  by  the 
mouth  of  the  Delphian  Priestess.  He  is  recorded  as  having  said 
of  himself  that  he  had  formerly  been  Athalides,  son  of  Mercury, 
who  desired  him  to  select  for  himself  any  gift  he  pleased  except 
immortality.  He  asked  that  he  might  preserve  the  memory  of 
what  had  happened  to  him.  This  was  granted,  and  when  he 
died  and  his  soul  had  passed  into  the  body  of  Euphorbus,  he 
remembered  all  that  had  taken  place. 


44  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

The  transmigration  of  souls,  or  the  passing  of  the  soul  after 
death  into  some  other  body,  either  animal  'or  vegetable,  was 
said  by  Pythagoras  to  have  come  also  from  his  god-father, 
Mercury.  After  existing  for  a  time  as  Euphorbus,  his  soul 
passed  into  Hermotimus,  thence  into  Pyrrhus,  a  fisherman  of 
Delos,  and  when  Pyrrhus  died  he  became  Pythagoras.  It  is  said 
he  had  a  golden  thigh,  which  he  displayed  to  an  assembly  of 
Greeks  at  Olympia;  that  at  one  time  he  was  seen  at  Crotona 
and  Metapontum.  at  the  same  time.*  He  was  also  reputed  to 
be  able  to  tame  wild  beasts  at  a  word. 

79.  The  actual  facts  in  the  career  of  Pythagoras  are  very 
meager  and  it  is  difficult  to  cull  the  truth  from  the  mass  of  myth- 
ical tradition  that  exists.  The  following,  however,  is  probably 
as  near  the  truth  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain : 
*  Pythagoras  was  born  about  the  year  580  B.  C.,  and  was  a 
native  of  Samos,  one  of  the  principal  and  most  fertile  of  the 
islands  in  the  Aegean  Sea,  famous  at  that  time  for  its  navy,  its 
industry  and  its  commerce.  He  was  the  son  of  Muesarabus,  a 
stone  cutter  or  seal  engraver,  and  seems  to  have  been  the  young- 
est of  three  brothers.  He  married  Theano,  daughter  of  Bron- 
tinos,  of  Crotona,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  and  daughter  named 
respectively  Telanges  and  Damo.  The  earlier  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  study  and  preparation  for  his  later  work.  His 
home,  during  that  period,  was  at  Samos,  where  he  became  a 
pupil  of  Anaximanda;  a  fellow  pupil  in  the  same  school  was 
Heraclitus,  whose  works  are  the  only  contemporary  writings, 
now  extant,  giving  testimony  of  the  life  work  of  Pythagoras, 
and  who  says  of  the  Philosopher,  "  He  was  the  most  learned  of 
all  other  men  in  history;  has  practiced  research  and  inquiry 
more  than  all  other  men  and  from  their  writings  he  thus  formed 
his  own  wisdom,  and  extensive  learning  and  mischievous  art/' 

This  invective,  the  result  of  cynicism,  is  amply  atoned  for  by 
the  numerous  train  of  disciples,  who  have  admired  and  lauded 

*Crotona  lies  on  the  east  shore  of  lower  Italy,  Metapontum  some  one 
hundred  miles  north,  while  Syracuse  is  in  Sicily,  about  the  same  dis- 
tance south. 


PYTHAGORAS.  45 

to  the  utmost  their  great  master,  and  whom  posterity  has  hon- 
ored like  a  demigod. 

80.  During  the  first  part  of  his  career  he  made  several  dis- 
tant journeys  in  search  of  knowledge.     Diogenes  says,  "He  quit- 
ted   the    country    and    got    initiated    into    all    the    Grecian    and 
barbarian    sacred    mysteries."      As    a    mathematical    student    he 
visited  Egypt,  which  was  then  the  cradle  of  that  science,  and  a^ 
he  carried  with  him   letters  of  introduction  he   was   enabled  to 
obtain  access  even  to  the  "  holiest  part  of  their  temples."     He 
learned  the  Egyptian  language,  and  becoming  initiated  into  the 
priesthood   of   that    land,    it   can   scarcely   be    doubted   "  that    he 
borrowed   from  the  priesthood  all  kinds  of  practices   that  have 
ranked   as    distinctive   features   of   his    foundation."     And   most 
probably  he  obtained   his  belief  in  the  transmigration  of  souls 
from  that  source. 

81.  It  is  doubtful  whether  Pythagoras  ever  saw  the  City  of 
Babylon,   though  Diogenes   asserts   that   he   associated   with   the 
Chaldeans  and  with,  the  Magi.     He  visited  Crete,  and  descend- 
ing into  the  sacred  Idean  Cave,  he  "  learned  all  the  secrets  and 
mysteries  of  the  Cretan  gods."     In  like  manner  he  visited  and 
studied  the  religions,  manners  and  customs  of  the  Phoenicians, 
Jews,  Brahmans  and  the  Druids  of  Gaul.  Thus  he  "had  attained 
the   knowledge   of   ages;"    and   the   arts    of   ancient   Egypt,   the 
science  of  Arabia,  the  philosophy  of  Phoenicia,  the  lore  of  the 
Chaldean  Sages,  and  the  occult  mysteries  of  the   Persian  Magi 
became  to  him  an  open  book. 

82.  Having  completed  his  travels  and  studies  he  returned  to 
Samos ;  but  finding  the  island  under  the  rule  of  the  tryant  Polyc- 
rates  he  looked  about  for  a  more  suitable  locality  in  which  to 
commence   his   experiment   of   reform. 

83.  The   second  part   of  his   career  began   with   fiis   removal 
from  his  old  home  in  Samos  to  southern  Italy,  where  he  found 
in  a  Greek  colony  of  Crotona,   (or  Croton)   a  place  suitable  for 
his  enterprise.     Here  his  work  made  him  famous,  and  the  in- 
fluence   of   his   teaching   was    felt    for    centuries    after   by   those 
schools  of  thought  that  sprang  up  throughout  the  Grecian  Re- 
public  and   her  colonies,   and   here   he  became  the   centre  of  a 


46  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

widespread  and  influential  organization,  which  had  for  its  aim 
that  of  a  religious  Brotherhood  and  an  Association  for  the 
Moral  Reformation  of  Society.  The  colony  of  Crotona  had  for- 
merely  been  noted  for  its  healthy  locality,  excellent  physicians 
and  powerful  athletes,  but  at  the  time  of  Pythagoras'  visit  it  had 
fallen  into  decay,  having  been  defeated  in  battle  by  its  old  time 
enemy,  the  Sybarites. 

84.  Finding  in  the  depressed  spirits  of  the  inhabitants  an  ex- 
cellent soil  upon  which  to  sow  his  seed  of  moral,  religious  and 
political    innovations,   he    founded   the    Brotherhood,   which    con- 
sisted of  both  men  and  women,  with  distinct  and  recognized  de- 
grees   of    membership.      The    discipline    of   the    order   was    of    a 
strict,  aristocratic  nature,  and   entirely   out  of  keeping  with  the 
democratic  spirit  of  the  Greeks. 

85.  The  aim   of  the  order  was   the     moral     education     and 
purification  of  communities.     Its  members  were  required  to  cul- 
tivate abstinence  and  the  habit  of  silence;  while  explicit  obedi- 
ence to  the  Master  was  enjoined.  The  brothers  put  all  their  pos- 
sessions together  in  one  store  and  used  them  in  common ;  they 
were  forbidden  to  kill  animals,  or  eat  flesh,  and  were  only  al- 
lowed to  eat  food  that  did  not  require  cooking;   water  was  the 
only   beverage. 

86.  For  five  years  the  neophytes  kept  silence,   doing  nothing 
but  listening  to  discourses,  and  not  seeing  the  face  of  Pythagoras 
until  they  had  been  approved  and  admitted  into  full  membership. 
Another  of  the   requirements   of  the   Pythagorean   Brotherhood 
was  fidelity  to  friends,  the  feature  that  Damon  and   Pythias  so 
thoroughly   learned,  and   which  they   so  perfectly  exemplified  in 
their  after  life,  and  to  which  the  Order  of  Knights  of  Pythias 
owes    its    existence.     Thus,    we   find,    some   twenty-five   hundred 
years   ago,   in   a   land   of   heathenism   and   idolatry,   that    Pytha- 
goras taught  to  a  small  band  of  earnest  men  and  women  —  about 
three  hundred  in  number,  says  Diogenes  —  that  beautiful  lesson 
of  friendship  which,  five  hundred  years  afterwards,  was  taught 
by  the  Supreme  Chancellor  of  the  Universe,  and  now  found  in 
the   Book   of   Law   upon   our  altars.     "  What   more   can   a   man 
give  than  he  give  his  life  for  his  friends?" 


PYTHAGORAS.  47 

Such  were  some  of  the  rules  of  the  order.  The  members,  we 
are  told,  were  men  of  practical  efficiency  of  both  body  and  mind, 
and  although  held  together  by  strict  rules,  they  were  not  thor- 
oughly ascetic  nor  narrowly  monastic. 

87.  The    result   of   this    reform    in    Crotona    was    widespread; 
it   caused   a   revival   of   public   spirit   and  brought   out  a   strong 
aristocratic  government.     Crotona  soon  regained  her  old  prestige, 
her  arms  were  successful  against  her  enemies,  and  the  influence 
of  the  Brotherhood  extended  to  other  cities.  Then  occurred  the 
uniting   together   of   these   social   and    religious   aristocrats,   who 
entered  the  arena  of  politics,  and  by  gradually  assuming  an  ar- 
rogant tone  toward  the  populace,  which  caused  a  bitterness  to 
arise    between  them,  they  brought  about  their  own  downfall.  The 
first  reaction  took  place  during  the  lifetime  of  its  founder.     An 
adverse  party  arose  in  Crotona,  under  the  leadership  of  Cylon, 
which  disputed  the  allotments  of  the  conquered  territories.  Pyth- 
agoras then  withdrew   from  that  city  and  went  to  Metapontum. 
Here  he   resided   for   ten   years   and   died   at   the   age   of   eighty 
years,  about  510  B.  C.     The  Order,  however,  continued  in  exist- 
ence until  a  more  powerful  organization,  called  Democrats,  suc- 
ceeded it  by  stamping  it  out  with  violent  measures.     The  meet- 
ing  houses    of   the    Pythagoreans    were    everywhere   sacked   and 
burned.     The  "  House  of  Milo,"  in  Crotona,  was  surprised,  and 
some  sixty  of  the  leading  members  slain.     But  the  persecution 
of  the  Brotherhood  did  not  stamp  out  the  enthusiasm  of  all  the 
Pythagoreans,    as    the    Order    continued    to    spread      in      Greece 
proper,   where   it   flourished   for  a   while,   then   quietly   dwindled 
down  and  finally  became     extinct. 

88.  The   teachings   of     Pythagoras,     however,     were     found 
among  the  Essenes,  a  Jewish  sect,  who  lived  in  Palestine  in  the 
time  of  Christ.     Dr.  Riggs,  in  his  History  of  the  Jewish  People, 
speaking  of  the  Pythagorean  origin  of  the  Essenes,  says, — 

"  But  the  striking  similarity  of  Pythagorean  ideals  with  those 
of  the  Essenes,  and  the  long  continued  presence  of  Greek  in- 
fluences in  the  land,  make  this  explanation  of  its  origin  plausible. 
Pythagoreanism  shares  with  Essenism  its  aspiration  for  bodily 
purity  and  sanctity,  its  lustrations,  its  simple  habits  of  life  apart 


48  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

from  all  sensual  enjoyments,  its  high  estimate  of  celibacy,  its 
white  garments,  its  repudiation  'of  oaths,  and  especially  its  re- 
jection of  bloody  sacrifices,  also  the  invocation  of  the  Sun,  and 
the  scrupulosity  with  which  all  that  was  unclean  was  hidden 
from  it,  and,  lastly,  the  dnaJistic  view  of  the  soul  and  body." 
(Schurer). 

89.  To  undertake  to  explain  the  philosophy  and  teachings  of 
Pythagoras  would  require  more  space  than  can  be  allotted  here, 
but  enough   may  be  said  to  give  the  reader  a  limited  idea  of 
what  the  philosophy  contained.     The  Pythagoreans,  having  stud- 
ied the  science  of  mathematics,  fancied  that  they  had  found  the 
archetype  of  all  things   in  numbers.     They  say  that    all   things 
are   numbers    or  that    numbers   are  the  very   essence   of   every- 
thing.      It   was    asserted    that   the   principles    of   numbers    were 
the  principles  of  being,  and  that  the  whole  heaven  was    a  har- 
mony and  number.      As    Ten    was     the     perfect     number,     so 
there   were  ten   first  principles,   ten  pairs   of  contraries,  —  finite, 
infinite ;   odd,   even ;   unity,   plurality ;    right,   left ;   male,   female ; 
rest,    motion ;    straight,    crooked ;    light,    darkness ;    good,    bad ; 
square,   oblong;   numbers   were  odd  and   even,   one  being  both. 
The  odd  was   finite,  the   even   infinite.     Then       one       becomes 
the    Deity,    the   principle    of   all    things;    two,    the   principle    of 
variety  and  difference;  three,  the  union  of  one  and  two;  four, 
the  perfection  of  mere  difference,  and  ten,  the  perfect  number 
and  complete  organic  unity  and  harmony  of  the  world.     Num- 
ber, then,  became  the  great,  perfect,  and  omnipotent;   the  prin- 
ciple and  guide  of  divine  and  human  life. 

90.  Such  a  proposition  sounds  strange,  but  truth  prompted  it, 
for  it  is  number,  or  a  definite  mathematical  relation,  that  sepa- 
rates one  thing  from  another,  and  so,  in  a  sense,  makes  number 
things.     Understanding  is  developed  by  the  study  of  mathemat- 
ics, and  becomes  the  organ  of  knowledge;  musical  harmony  de- 
pends upon  the  numerical  proportion  of  the  length  of  the  strings. 

"  Qualities  arise  out  'of  the  properties  of  bodies  when  they 
are  considered  in  relation  to  human  purposes.  The  essentials  of 
properties  are  unity,  extension,  speed,  persistence,  and  conscious- 
ness, which  under  relations  give  rise  to  properties  that  can  be 


PYTHAGORAS.  49 

measured,  which  are  designated  as  quantities.  These  quantities 
are  numbers,  space,  motion,  time  and  judgment. 

"  Number  is  many  in  one,  and  the  enumeration  of  the  many 
is  the  measuring  of  the  number  contained  in  the  sum,  which 
is  unity. 

"The  second  quantity  is  space ;  its  essential  is  extension,  but 
many  extensions  give  rise  to  relative  position,  and  positions  can 
be  measured.  Hence,  extension  and  position  constitute  space, 
and  space  is  a  quantity  that  can  be  measured. 

"  Speed  is  the  essential  of  motion,  but  the  same  particle  in 
motion  traverses  a  path.  Motion,  therefore,  is  speed  and  path, 
and  can  be  measured  in  terms  of  space.  Speed  and  path  con- 
stitute motion.  Therefore  time  is  quantity. 

"  The  essential  of  time  is  persistence,  but  the  relation  of 
time  is  change ;  a  portion  of  time  from  one  change  to  another 
can  be  measured.  Thus  persistence  and  change  constitute  time, 
and  time  is  a  quantity. 

"The  essential  of  judgment  is  consciousness  of  self.  Its  re- 
lation to  others  is  reference  about  others.  When  consciousness 
is  aroused  by  another,  and  by  inference  a  judgment  is  pro- 
duced by  that  other,  it  can  be  measured. 

"  As  essentials  are  developed  into  mathematical  properties 
called  quantities,  so  again  quantities  are  developed  by  incorpora- 
tion into  classified  properties  or  simply  properties. 

"  Quantities  and  properties  are  reciprocal.  Number,  space,  mo- 
tion, time,  and  judgment  are  qualities  that  can  be  measured. 
Kind,  form  (space),  energy  (motion),  causation  (time)  and  con- 
sciousness are  properties  that  can  be  classified.  The  quantities 
that  can  be  measured  and  the  properties  that  can  be  classified  are 
the  same  things  considered  from  different  standpoints ;  one  is 
reciprocal  of  the  'others." 

Thus  we  see  that  although  Pythagoras  carried  his  doctrine 
to  extravagant  ends,  there  was  a  substratum  of  truth  in  it. 

The  teachings  of  Pythagoras  were  also  of  the  heavens  and  the 
planets,  music,  and  the  harmonic  system.  He  declared  the  earth 
was  round  and  revolved  upon  it  own  axis.  He  was  the  first  to 
find  out  and  teach  that  the  square  of  the  hypotenuse  of  a  right- 


50  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

angle  triangle  was  equal  to  the  squares  on  the  other  two  sides. 
This  discovery  so  pleased  the  philosopher  that  he  sacrificed  one 
hundred  oxen  and  gave  a  great  feast. 

91.  But  the  doctrine  most  closely    associated  with  Pythagoras 
was  that  of  the  transmigration  of  souls.     The  bodily  life  of  a 
soul    was    an    imprisonment    suffered    for    sins    committed    in    a 
former  state  of  existence.     At  death  the  soul  reaped  what  it  had 
sown   in   life.     The   reward   of   the   best   was   to   enter   into   the 
highest  and  purest  regions  of  the  universe,  while  darkest  crimes 
received   their   punishment   in   Tartarus,   an   underground   prison 
with  iron  gates,  as  far  below  the  earth   as  heaven  is  above  it. 

But  the  general  lot  of  the  souls  of  the  dead  was  to  live  again 
in  the  body  of  some  other  man,  animaV  or  plant,  the  nature  of 
the  bodily  prison  being  determined,  by  tlf-e  deeds  done  in  the  life 
just  ended. 

92.  Pythagoras  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  to  proclaim  that 
friendship    is    equality;    the    first    to    discover    the    principles    of 
geometry;   the   first   to   announce   separate   life   of  the   individual 
soul;  and  the  first  to  introduce  measures  and  weights. 

Diogenes  says  that  in  his  time,  there  wei  e  three  volumes  writ- 
fen  by  Pythagoras  in  existence;  one  on  education,  one  on  pol- 
itics, and  one  on  natural  philosophy;  and  that  several  other 
books  had  disappeared,  among  which  was  a  sacred  poem,  the 
first  two  lines  of  which  are  quoted  below  tli  ?.  title  of  this  sketch. 

In  this  brief  sketch  we  have  gained  some  better  knowledge  of 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  characters  of  o  iir  Order,  and  some- 
thing of  his  works.  And  we  have  been  abl^.to  see  that  it  was 
not  without  reason  he  has  been  made  to  say  :  "  Centuries  before 
your  eyes  were  open  to  the  light  of  day,  I  ha»t  attained  the  know- 
ledge of  all  the  ages." 


X, 

THE  ISLAND  OF  SICILY 

"The  pasture  lands  of  the  Oxen  of  the  Sun!' 

SICILY  is  an   island  lying  off  the  southwest  coast  of   the 
Italian  Peninsula.   It  divides  the  Mediterranean  Sea  into  two 
parts,  the  eastern  and  the  western.    In  the  early  times,  when 
the   countries   bordering   this    sea   constituted   the   whole   known 
land,   Sicily  was  the  center  of  the  world,  and  this  geographical 
position   led,   necessarily,  to  its   historical   position  as   the  meet- 
ing place   of   the-  nations,   and  the  battlefield   of  the   contending 
peoples. 

94.  All  the  nations  and  powers  that  have   dwelt  around   the 
Mediterranean   Sea   have   had   some   part   in   the  history   of   this 
island,  and  all  the  languages  of  the  then  known  world  have  been 
spoken  in  it.     It  has  never  been  the  seat  of  any  one  nation,  but 
a  part  of  all,   sometimes  as  a  dependency  and  sometimes  as  an 
independent  nation.     It  was  not  only  the  battleground  of  rival 
nations,  but  of  rival  religious  creeds.     In  two  separate  and  dis- 
tinct periods  it  has  been  the  battlefield  of  the  Aryan  and   Sem- 
itic  races,   i.   e.,   of  the  Aryan   Greeks   and     the   Semitic   Carth- 
aginians.    In  later  times  it  was  the  principal  locality  of  the  bat- 
tles between  Christianity  and  Islam.     It  has  one  of  the  longest 
and  most  unbroken  histories  in  Europe.     It  had  two  most  bril- 
liant  periods   in    its   history,   one   ancient   and   one   modern,   but 
both  alike  came  about  by  similar  causes.      This   cause  is   found 
in  the  geographical  character  of  the  land. 

95.  Sicily  is  the  largest  island  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and, 
as   stated  above,  was  the  center  of  the  then  known  world.   We 
know  that  at  one  time  it  was  joined  to  the  mainland  of  Africa, 
having,  been   an   extension    of   the   northeast   portion   'of  Tunis ; 
and  tradition  asserts  that  it  was  formerly  joined  to  Italy.  Geol- 
ogy tells  us,  too,  that  in  old  geological  times  the  Mediterranean 


52  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

was  composed  of  two  great  .lakes,  and  that  the  island  of  Sicily 
is  the  only  remnant  of  the  land  that  once  joined  the  continents 
of  Europe  and  Africa,  and  separated  the  eastern  lake  from  the 
western.  It  lies  close  to  Europe,  with  a  narrow  but  deep  strait 
separating  it  from  Italy;  while  the  sea  which  separates  it  from 
Africa  is  wide  and  comparatively  shallow. 

Being  thus  on  the  highway  between  the  east  and  west,  and 
forming  a  bridge  across  the  waters  from  Europe  to  Africa,  it 
became  the  centre  of  strife  between  the  east  and  west,  and  be- 
tween the  religions  accepted  by  the  eastern  and  western  nations. 
As  long  as  the  lands  around  the  Mediterranean  comprised  the 
whole  European  world,  Sicily,  the  central  land  of  them  all,  had 
an  importance  that  no  other  lands  possessed,  and  the  possession 
of  it  caused  it  to  be  the  battlefield  of  the  world. 

96.  To  sum  up  the  history  of  Sicily  in  a  few  words,  —  It  was 
the  central   land  of  the   Mediterranean   Sea ;   if  was  the  central 
land   of   Europe;   as   such    it  became   the   battlefield   of  nations 
and  creeds,  and  a  prize  for  which  Europe  and  Africa  both  strug- 
gled.    The  first  struggle  was  between  the  Greeks  and   Phoeni- 
cians   (Carthaginians).     The  victory  was  with  Europe,  and  the 
island  was   incorporated  within   the   domain  of  Rome,  where   it 
remained   until   the    second   strife   came   between     the     Romaiv 
Greeks  and  Saracens.    Again  Europe  was  victorious  and  the  Nor- 
man  kingdom   of   Sicily   was    established.      For   some   time   this 
was  the  most  flourishing  state  in  Europe.  Then,  by  the  discovery 
of  the  outer  world,  Sicily  lost  its  central  position,  and  its  great- 
ness and  its  history  became  merged  into  that  of  other  countries, 
especially  of  Italy,  to  which  it  now  belongs. 

97.  The   Phoenicians   and   Greeks  were   at  one  time  the  only 
nations   so   far   advanced   in  their  civilization   as   to  be  able  to 
plant  colonies  in  distant  lands.     The  Phoenicians  were  the  first 
in  the  field;  they  had  colonized  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean 
on  both  sides  of  the  sea,  at  different  places  as  far  as  the  Pillars 
of    Hercules,    and      had      even      penetrated      beyond.       Among 
these   colonies   were   several   on   the   northwest   coast   of    Sicily. 
Long  afterwards  the  Greeks  came  and  planted  the  eastern  coast 
with  their  colonies. 


SICILY.  S3 

98.  The  colonists,  both  Phoenician  and  Greek,  drove  the  primi- 
tive inhabitants  inland.  These  people  were  found  to  be  of  three 
nations.     The  names  of  two  of  these  nations  are  so  much  alike 
that  one  is  tempted  to  think  they  are  different  forms  of  the  same 
name  and  yet  they  are  always  spoken  of  as  wholly  distinct.  They 
are  the   Sicans  and  the   Sikels,  each   of  which   in  turn   gave  its 
name  to  the   island.     It  was   first   Sikonia   and   then   Sikelia   or 
Sicilia.      The    Sicans    claimed    to    have    emigrated    from    Spain, 
and  were  evidently  of  that  non-Aryan  race  that  were  the  first- 
known  inhabitants  of  southern  Europe,  and  of  which  the  Basques 
ot   Spain   are  now   the  only   survivors.     The     Sikels     came     to 
the  island  in  the  eleventh  century  B.   C.   from  Italy,  about  three 
hundred  years   before   the   Greek   settlements,   and  are   supposed 
to   have   been    an    undeveloped    Latin    people.      They    drove   the 
Sicans  toward  the  west,  where   they  afterward  came  under  the 
control    of    the    Phoenicians,    while    the    Sikels    remained    in   the 
eastern  part  of  the  island,  and  not  only  came  under  the  influence 
of   the    Greeks,   but   gradually  became   practically   Greeks   them- 
selves.    They   spoke   the   Greek   language,   adopted    Greek   man- 
ners and  were   reckoned  as   Greeks  by  the   early  historians. 

The  third  nation  called  themselves  Elymians,  and  claimed  to 
be  descended  from  the  Trojans.  Little  is  known  of  them  or 
their  language.  They  were  celebrated  for  their  great  temple,  on 
Mount  Eryx,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  island.  Neither 
Phoenician  nor  Greek  was  able  to  conquer  the  whole  island,  but 
instead  of  conquest  came  influence ;  both  nationalities  largely 
influencing  the  native  races,  and  in  the  end,  without  formal 
conquest,  the  whole  island  became  practically  Greek. 

99.  The  highroad  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  part  of  the 
Mediterranean   passed   along  the   western   shores   of   Sicily,   and 
therefore  it  was  on  the  western  and  contiguous  southern  coasts 
that   the   Phoenicians   planted  their  colonies,   the   chief  of  which 
were   Motya,   Solous,   and   Panormos,   all   strong  posts     on     the 
western  shore.     The  modern  Palermo  was  a  Phoenician  city,  and 
under. their  rule  and  that  of  the  Saracens,  it  was  the  chief  city 
of  the  island,  and   remained   to  be  the  capital   under  the   Nor- 
man kings.     Thus  the  western  part  of  the  island  was  the  land 


54  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

of  the  Phoenicians,  Sicans  and  Elymians,  while  the  eastern  part 
was  the  land  of  the  Greeks  and  Sikels. 

100.  But  we  must  pass  on  to  what  is  more  interesting  to  us, 
the   foundation   of   the   Greek   colonies,   of   which    Syracuse   was 
one. 

In  735  B.  C.  an  expedition  set  forth  from  Chalkis,  one  of 
the  chief  seaport  towns  of  Greece,  and  established  the  first 
Greek  colony  in  Sicily,  naming  it  Naxos.  It  was  situated  on 
the  eastern  coast,  near  the  southern  entrance  to  the  Straits 
of  Messina.  They  drove  out  the  Sikels,  took  what  land  they 
wanted,  and  built  their  town  and  fortified  it.  A  part  of  the 
old  walls  may  still  be  seen.  The  colony  did  not  last  long, 
however,  for  about  three  hundred  years  afterward  it  was  swept 
away  and  never  rebuilt. 

101.  The  next  year,  734  B.   C.,  a  Dorian  City  was  founded, 
which   was   the   most   important   of   all   the   colonies    of   Greece. 
Syracuse  was  planted  by  the  city  of  Corinth,  and,  as  it  was  al- 
lowed  from  the  beginning  to   retain  its  perfect  independence,-  it 
continued   on   the  best   of   terms   with   the   mother   city.     It  was 
built    on    the    Island    of    Ortygia,    and    contained    the    spring   of 
Arethousa   (Note  i).     The  island  lies  close  to  the  mainland  of 
Sicily  and  was  joined  to  it,   sometimes  by  a  bridge,   sometimes 
by   a   mole.     Opposite   this   island,   which   projects   into   the   sea 
towards   the   south,   is   a   peninsula   pointing   northward.     These 
two  points  enclose  on  their  west  a  bay  called  the  Great  Harbor. 
On  the  north  of  the  island,  indenting  the  mainland,  was  a  smaller 
bay,   this   one   being  called   the   Little   Harbor.        It     had     con- 
sequently the  best  position  of  all  the  Greek  Colonies.     The  city 
soon  gre*v  and  spread  outside  the  island  and  up  the  hills  to  the 
north  and  west. 

102.  In  B.   C.  729  Naxos   sent  out  two  parties  who  planted 

NOTE  1.  Spring-  of  Arethousa.  In  the  Island  of  Ortygia  was  a  fresh 
spring-  of  water  very  near  the  sea;  not  far  off,  in  the  sea  itself,  was  another 
spring-,  babbling-  up  in  the  midst  of  the  salt  water,  and  so  the  story  grew 
that  the  maiden  Arethousa  was  pursued  by  the  river  God.  She  prayed  to 
her  mistress,  who  turned  her  into  a  fountain.  Her  waters  ran  under  the  sea 
until  they  turned  up  again  on  Ortygia  and  her  lover,  Alpheios,  had  followed 
her  with  his  stream  through  the  waves. 


SICILY.  55 

the  colonies  of  Leontenoi  and  Catina,  the  latter  near  the  coasc, 
and  the  former  inland  in  a  line  with  it.  Catina  has  been  de- 
stroyed many  times  by  earthquakes  and  eruptions  from  Mount 
Aetna,  but  as  many  times  rebuilt,  and  is  now  a  larger  town  than 
Syracuse.  (Note  2).  In  a  similar  way  Greek  colonies  were 
planted  all  along  the  coast  until  the  settlement  of  Zankle  (Me:->- 
sana)  was  completed.  This  was  the  last  Grecian  colony  on  tho 
eastern  coast.  Zanklo  was  first  founded  by  a  horde  of  pirates. 
It  was  situated  on  the  northeastern  end  of  the  island  and  was 
afterwards  called  Messana,  which  name  it  still  retains  in  a  slightly 
altered  form,  Messina.  It  is  a  splendid  site,  on  the  strait,  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  with  a  noble  harbor,  and  fenced  in  with  a 
strip  of  land  in  front  of  it.  One  legend  calls  the  place,  on  ac- 
count of  its  beauty,  "  the  grazing  place  of  the  oxen  of  the  sun." 
The  city  has  always  been  prosperous,  although  it  never  attained 
a  foremost  place  among  the  cities  of  Sicily. 

103.  About  689  B.  C,  the  Greeks  began  to  colonize  the  south- 
ern coast,  and  in  succession  grew  the  new  cities  of  Gela,  Phin- 
tias,  and  others  with  which  we  have  very  little  to  do  in  this 
inquiry.  The  settlement  of  Gela,  however,  caused  Syracuse  to 
move.  She  was  afraid  of  the  southeastern  corner  being  taken 
by  strangers,  and,  as  she  wished  to  retain  the  whole  corner  un- 
der her  own  influence,  began  to  send  out  settlers  and  plant  out- 
posts along  the  south  and  round  the  corner  to  as  far  as  Kamar- 
ina,  thus  controlling  the  whole  corner  of  the  island. 

Meanwhile  the  inhabitants  of  Zankle  had  spread  around  the 
northeastern  corner,  and  thence  along  the  north  coast  to  the 
cities  of  the  Phoenicians,  Sikans  and  Elymians.  The  most 
easternly  city  was  Himera ;  while  on  the  southern  shore  the  city 
of  Silenous  held  a  similar  position. 

In  599  B.  C.  was  founded  Akragas  (Agrimentum  or  Gergenti). 
Situated  in  the  central  portion  of  the  southern  coast,  it  had  a 
large  trade  with  Africa,  grew  rich  and  powerful,  and  although 


NOTE  2.  The  Pious  Brethren.  At  the  first  eruption  of  Mt.  JEtna.  after 
the  foundation  of  Katatie,  Amphimonos  and  Anapios,  two  brothers,  were 
carrying  off  their  parents  on  their  shoulders.  When  the3'  came  to  the  lava 
it  parted  and  allowed  the  Pious  Brothers  to  escape  in  safety, 


56  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

never  a  naval  power  like  Syracuse,  was  easily  the  second  city 
in  Sicily,  as  Syracuse  was  the  first.  A  greater  number  of  tem- 
ples, more  or  less  preserved,  can  be  seen  there  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  island,  among  which  is  the  fallen  one  of  Zeus 
Olympios,  the  greatest  in  Sicily. 

104.  Thus,   in  one  hundred  and  forty  years,  the  greater  part 
of  the  coast  of   Sicily  became  occupied  by  the   Greek  colonists, 
The   Phoenicians   and   their   allies   kept   their   own   corner   in   the 
northwest.     The  independent  Sikels  were  located  in  the  interior 
and  a   large  part  of  the  central  portion  of  the  north   coast. 

105.  One  more  attempt,  however,  was  made  by  the  Greeks  to 
plant  a  colony,  and  that  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Phoenician  terri- 
tory, near  the  city  of  Lilybaion.     In  the  war  which  followed  the 
Greeks    were    defeated   and    Pentathlos,    the    leader,    was    killed. 
His   followers   sailed  around   the   northwest  corner  of   Sicily,  to 
the  Lipari  Island,  and  there  settled,  calling  the  city  Lipara,  which 
has    ever   since   been   an    inhabited   town. 

106.  For    about    one    hundred    years    there    was    comparative 
peace  in  the  island,  and  then  the   Phoenician  cities  came  under 
the  influence  of  Carthage.     Up  to  this  time  no  one  city  materi- 
ally interfered  with  the  other,  but  all  lived  on  terms  of  friend- 
ship.    Although   the   Greek   cities   were   thoroughly   independent, 
they   strengthened  their  hold   on  the  country  against  the  neigh- 
boring   Sicans   and    Sikels.      Yet    Syracuse    was    easily   the   first 
city  among  them,  and  when  the  great  strife  came  and  Carthage 
wished   to   have   dominion   over   Sicily,   she   was  the  only  power 
that  could  and  did  successfully  resist  the  Carthaginians  and  ul- 
timately   drove    them    out.      But    this   belongs    to    the    history   of 
Syracuse,  which  will  be  found  in  the  following  sketch. 


XL 
THE  HISTORY  OF  SYRACUSE 

"The    largest   and    most    beautiful    of    all    the    Greek    cities."  — 
Cicero. 

WHEN  the  Greek  colonies  began  their  settlements  in  Sic- 
ily their  government  was  oligarchical,  the  family  in 
power  choosing  the  magistracy  for  itself.  The  first 
settlers  divided  the  land  among  themselves,  and  these  only  (thp 
land  owners)  had  the  power  of  voting.  Citizenship  could  only 
be  obtained  by  inheritance  or  by  special  grant.  Newcomers  had 
no  political  rights,  and  as  the  old  settlers  hung  tenaciously  to 
their  own  rights  and  privileges,  there  grew  up,  in  and  around  the 
city,  a  vast  population  who  could  not  exercise  the  privilege  of 
franchise  and  were  not  considered  citizens.  The  citizens  inter- 
married and  kept  all  the  offices  to  themselves.  Their  numbers 
grew  less.  Then  these  outsiders  pradually  claimed  and  obtained 
political  equality  with  the  land  owners  and  formed  a  true  democ- 
racy. At  Syracuse  the  old  citizens  held  all  the  land  and  were  the 
agriculturists,  calling  in  the  Sikels  to  perform  the  actual  work. 
The  newcomers,  now  Greek  citizens,  were  the  traders. 

108.  There  was  at  Syracuse,  and  most  probably  at  the  other 
colonies,  a  general  assembly  of  all  the  land  owners,  as  well  as  a 
smaller  body,  the  composition  of  which  is  not  known.  We  hear, 
however,  of  this  Senate  in  a  quarrel  that  is  related  of  two  young 
men  of  the  then  ruling  class ;  so  fierce  was  this  that  the  inhabit- 
ants took  part  in  it,  the  land  owners  taking  the  part  of  one  and 
the  traders  the  other.  One  Senator  advised  the  banishment  of 
both,  but  this  advice  was  not  followed  and  a  fight  ensued.  The 
trader-citizens  called  to  their  assistance  the  Sikels,  who  were 
the  laborers  or  serfs  of  the  land  owners,  and  together  they  over- 
threw the  land-owners'  government  and  held  Syracuse  for  them- 
selves. They  then  formed  the  first  democratic  government  in 


58  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

Sicily.  This  event  took  place  about  the  first  of  the  fifth  century 
B.  C. 

109.  During  this  century  tyrants  began  to  arise  among  the 
Greek  settlements.  A  brief  description  of  what  a  "  tyrant " 
really  was  is  necessary  to  understand  the  subsequent  history. 
The  name  had  a  definite  meaning,  but  was  not  necessarily  a 
term  of  reproach  applied  to  an  unjust  ruler.  When  the  lower 
classes  rose  up  against  the  prevailing  government  and  over- 
threw it,  they  generally  named  some  one  as  chief  magistrate, 
who  became  their  ruler.  Sometimes  this  ruler  was  oppressive 
and  took  upon  himself  the  powers  of  a  king,  and  by  strengthen- 
ing himself  with  a  body-guard  he  became  a  tyrant.  It  does  not 
follow  that  the  rule  was  an  oppressive  use  of  power,  but  simply 
an  unlawful  means  of  gaining  it. 

no.  The  first  tyrant  of  whom  there  is  any  record  was  Panar- 
tios,  of  Leontinoi ;  and  from  B.  C.  570  to  554  Akragus  wa's 
ruled  by  the  Tyrant  Phalaris,  who  was  the  most  noted  man  in 
Sicily  •  at  that  time.  He  took  the  public  money  and  with  it 
hired  mercenaries.  He  is  most  famous  for  having  kept  a 
"brazen  bull/'  within  which  he  put  his  enemies  and  roasted  them 
to  death.  He  was  succeeded  by  Tele-machos,  who  restored 
liberty  to  the  people. 

in.  But  the  most  famous  of  the  tyrants,  and  one  with 
whom  we  have  more  to  do,-  was  Hippocrates,  tyrant  of  Gela. 
His  brother,  Kleandros,  had  been  tyrant  before  him,  but  was 
killed  after  a  rule  of  seven  years.  Hippocrates  began  his  rule  by 
extending  his  dominions  beyond  his  single  city  of  Gela.  He 
conquered  the  Sikels  and  several  Greek  cities,  until  his  rule  ex- 
tended from  the  southern  shore  to  the  eastern  sea,  leaving 
Zankle  in  possession  of  the  northeast  corner,  and  Syracuse  in 
possession  of  the  southeast  corner.  He  next  turned  his  arms 
against  Syracuse,  which  he  took,  but  was  compelled  by  Corinth 
to  evacuate.  This  occurred  during  the  last  days  of  the  land 
owners'  rule. 

112.  Hippocrates  died  in  491  B.  C.,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Gelon,  who  forcibly  made  himself  tyrant.  He  was  a  great  and 
wise  ruler  and  soon  had  complete  power  over  eastern  Sicily. 


SYRACUSE.  59 

The  land  owners,  having  been  driven  from  Syracuse,  asked  him 
to  help  them  back  again.  This  he  did,  but  took  over  the  city  to 
himself.  It  grew  rapidly  under  the  administration  of  Gelon, 
but  only  at  the  cost  of  other  cities,  for  Gelon  brought  their 
inhabitants  to  Syracuse,  so  that  its  populace  overflowed  into  the 
neighboring  mainland.  He  then  gave  citizenship  to  his  mer- 
cenaries and  the  settlers  from  old  Greece.  His  rule  was  mild, 
and  he  won  great  fame  as  the  champion  of  Hellas  by  his  vic- 
tories over  the  Carthaginians,  who,  for  the  first  time,  tried  to 
gain  control  over  the  whole  Island  of  Sicily,  but  they  were  so 
thoroughly  beaten  that  only  a  few  gained  their  ships  and  de- 
parted, while  the  rest  were  either  killed  in  battle,  or  hunted  out 
of  the  island.  Envoys  came  from  Carthage  asking  for  peace, 
which  was  granted,  but  Carthage  was  compelled  to  pay  a  large 
sum  of  money,  and  build  two  temples  in  their  own  town  in  honor 
of  the  Greek  goddess  of  Sicily. 

113.  After  Gelon's  death  Syracuse  grew  wonderfully  in  rich- 
ness and  power;  the  tyrants  were  then  driven  out,  great  build- 
ings   were    erected    and    comparative    peace    reigned    throughout 
the  land.     But  there  were  home  troubles  yet  to  be  settled.  The 
Sikels  and   Sicans,   who  had  been  trained  as  soldiers,  and  who 
had  fought  against  the  Carthaginians,  now  thought  to  drive  out 
the  Greeks  and   regain  full  possession  of  the  island.     A  battle 
ensued   in   which   they   were   defeated.     Again,   the   mercenaries, 
to  whom  the  tyrants  had  given  citizenship,  were  becoming  too 
strong  and  outspoken  for  the  old  settlers,  and  it  was  decided  to 
disenfranchise  those  who   owed  their  citizenship   to  the  tyrants. 
This  was  bitterly  resented,  and',  after  a  three  years'  quarrel,  these 
mercenaries  in  461  B.  C.  were  driven  out. 

114.  The  cities  now  returned  to  the  old  state  of  things,  each 
being  independent  of  the  other.     Their  constitutions  were,  per- 
haps, more  democratic  than  before,  and  for  the  next  fifty  years 
they  enjoyed  comparative  peace.     Syracuse,  herself,  had  gained 
in  military  and  naval  strength,  but  now  the  army  and  navy  were 
somewhat   neglected,   so   that   during  the   Athenian   siege   of  the 
city   which    occurred    in    the   years   415    to   413  .B.    C,,   she   was 
greatly  handicapped. 


6o  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES.  * 

115.  We  have  now  arrived  at  the  time   when   Sicily  became 
mixed   up   with   the   quarrel's   of  old   Greece,   whose   cities   were 
divided  into  two  great  alliances;  Sparta  at  the  head  of  the  Dor- 
ians, while  Athens  had  her  Ionian  followers.     In  Sicily,  Syracuse 
was  the  leader  of  all  the  Dorian  cities,  while  Leontinoi  was  head 
of   the   Ionian.    Quarrels   sprang   up   between   the   Sicilian   rivals 
and   Athens   sent   a   small   fleet   to   help   her   allies.       For   three 
years  a  desultory  war  was  waged,  but  nothing  much  effected  on 
either  side,  although  Athens  sent  over  another  and  a  larger  fleet 
to  help  Leontinoi.   Hermocrates,  Tyrant  of  Syracuse,  persuaded 
the  Greeks  of   Sicily  to  accept  a  peace  which  lasted  for  several 
years. 

116.  In  416  a  quarrel  sprang  up  between  the  cities  of  Silenous 
(Greek)   and  Segesta    (Elymian)    and  the  latter  asked   for  help 
from  Athens.     About  the 'same  time,  also,  Leontinoi  asked  help 
against  Syracuse.     Full  of  hopeful  spirits,  a  great  fleet  was  sent 
against  the  Ionian  allies,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  dilatoriness 
of  its  commander,   Sicily  would  have  become  an   Athenian   ter- 
ritory.    The  force  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  ships 
of  war,  five  thousand  one  hundred  heavily  armed,  and  thirteen 
hundred   light  troops,  besides  thirty  horsemen.     The  great  fleet 
frightened   the   Syracusans,  but  as   it   did  nothing  but   sail  back 
and   forth,   the   fear   of   it   gradually   disappeared,   and   Syracuse 
had  time  to  prepare  for  the  attack. 

117.  One   day   the   Athenian   fleet   entered   the  Great   Harbor, 
landed  its  troops,  fought  and  beat  back  the^  Syracuse  army,  but 
were  prevented  from  following  up  their  advantage  by  the  Syra- 
cusan    cavalry;    after   which    they    sailed   away,    returning   later, 
however,  when  a  complete  blockade  by  land  and  sea  was  effected 
and  the  siege  began.     Battles  were  fought,  walls  were  built  by 
the  Athenians,  and  counter  walls  by  the  Syracusans,  but  to  no 
purpose,  for  so  bad  had  the  'state  of  affairs  become  that  the  lat- 
ter actually  fixed  a  day  to  discuss  terms  of  peace  when  a  Spartan 
ship   entered  the   Little   Harbor,  and  with  the  news  that  others 
were   coming.      This   was    the   turning   point   of   the   war.      The 
Spartan   general    landed    with   a    small    number   of   men,   gained 
help  from  the   Sikels,   and   Syracuse,  instead  of  being  besieged, 


SYRACUSE.  61 

became  the  besieger,  having  enclosed  the  Athenian  army  by  walls. 
Still,  however,  the  Athenian  fleet  was  so  large  that  for  a  long 
time  little  could  be  done  to  close  the  war.  After  many  hard 
fights,  both  on  land  and  sea,  the  Athenian  fleet  was  destroyed, 
and  the  men  escaped  to  land  only  to  be  driven  from  place  to 
place,  until  out  of  forty  thousand  men  who  landed  in  camp,  only 
about  seven  thousand  remained,  and  they  were  led  back  to  Syra- 
cuse prisoners.  They  were  shut  up  in  a  stone  quarry,  where  many 
died,  many  were  sold,  some  escaped  or  were  set  free,  and  the 
rest  were  made  to  work,  while  all  the  generals  were  put  to 
death. 

118.  Hermocrates  and  the   Syracuse  ships  then  went  to   help 
Sparta,  where  they  won  fresh  laurels.     In  spite  of  this  Hermoc- 
rates became  out  of  favor  and  was  banished  in  409  B.  C.    Two 
years  later  he  was  slain  in  attempting  to  enter  the  city;  and  with 
him   was   wounded   one   who   afterward   far   surpassed   all   other 
rulers  of  ancient  Syracuse.     This  was  Dionysius. 

During  the  time  of  peace  which  followed  these  events,  laws 
were  passed  providing  that  the  magistrates  be  elected  by  the  vote 
of  the  people;  a  new  code  of  laws  was  formulated;  and  this 
again  made  of  Syracuse  a  democracy,  purer  than  ever  before. 

119.  The   history   of   Dionysius   will   be   more   fully   given   in 
another  sketch.     Suffice  it  to  say  here,  that  he  managed  to  get 
himself  elected,  first  as  one  of  the  generals,  then  as  sole  general. 
Then  by  another  trick  he  procured  the     vote  of  a  body-guard, 

.a  certain  sign  that  he  intended  to  seize  the  tyrantship.  This 
he  did  and  entered  Syracuse  about  406  B.  C.  as  tyrant.  The 
putting  down  of  a  revolution  and  his  success'  in  the  second  in- 
vasion of  the  Carthaginians,  confirmed  him  in  his  position.  His 
rule  lasted  thirty-eight  years,  with  success  and  honor  to  the  city. 
He  extended  his  dominions  and  gained  for  Syracuse  the  second 
great  period  of  its  history.  He  made  it  the  most  splendid  and 
best  fortified  of  all  the  Greek  cities ;  its  naval  power  was  vastly 
increased,  its  docks  enlarged,  and  over  two  hundred  larger  and 
more  powerful  ships  were  built.  Its  navy  was  the  most  power- 
ful in  the  Mediterranean. 

120.  This  great  ruler  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Dionysius  the 


62  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

Younger,  who  had  not  the  solid  worth  of  his  father,  but  was 
.a  weak,  good-natured  sort  of  a  fellow.  Beginning  in  B.  C.  357, 
he  was  for  three  years  turned  out  of  his  tyranny  by  Dion.  Dion 
was  then  slain  and  Dionysius  returned  to  power,  and  again  op- 
pressed the  people  until  343,  when  he  was  banished  to  Corinth. 
The  people  of  the  city,  torn  by  factions  and  conflict  and  plun- 
dered by  foreign  troops,  were  so  wretched  that  Greek  life 
seemed  on  the  verge  of  extinction,  while  the  island  was  again 
threatened  by  Carthage.  Syracuse  now  sought  help  from 
Corinth,  and  Timoleon,  one  of  the  noblest  of  Greek  heroes,  was 
sent,  and  Dionysius  sailed  for  Corinth. 

It  was  during  this  banishment,  that  he  entertained  the  Greek 
historians  with  the  account  which  they  give  us  of  the  story  of 
Damon  and  Pythias. 

121.  Timoleon   was   the   savior   of   the   city   from   the   down- 
ward progress  of  the  previous  rule,  and  Syracuse  grew  out  of 
her   desolation,  by  the  importing  of  new   colonists,  and  putting 
fresh  life  into  the  old  ones,  and  once  more  the  city  became  pros- 
perous. 

Having  again  defeated  the  Carthaginians,  and  nearly  the 
whole  of  Sicily  now  being  peacefully  in  possession  of  the  Greeks, 
Timoleon  retired  from  public  service,  but  practically  he  was  the 
ruler  of  Syracuse  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  at  his  death  a 
splendid  monument  was  raised  to  his  memory  by  the  people  of 
the  city. 

122.  Twenty  years  later,  Agathocles,  by  the  help  of  the  Car- 
thaginian  Hamilcar,  became  tyrant,  and  afterwards   styled  him- 
self  "  King,"   and   Syracuse  pa'ssed  through  another     reign     of 
terror.     He  died  in  289  B.  C.,  after  twenty-eight  years  of  power, 
and  an  obscure  period  followed,  being  principally  noted  by  mis- 
erable revolutions  and  despotisms. 

123.  A  better  time  began  under  Hiero  II,  who  became  king 
in  or  about  270  B.  C.     During  his  reign  of  fifty  years  Syracuse 
enjoyed  peace  and  prosperity.    His  rule  was  mild  and  Just;  good 
order  was  found  throughout  his  dominions,  and  the  people  en- 
joyed a  fair  amount  of  self  government.  It  was  a  time  of  great 
public    works,   the    harbors    were    improved,    fortifications   built, 


SYRACUSE.  63 

and  temples  erected;  Hiero  was  a  firm  friend  of  Rome,  and 
helped  her  against  their  common  enemy,  the  Carthaginians. 

124.  Rome  and  Carthage  had  for  some  time  been  jealous  of 
each  other's  power  and  a  war  took  place  known  as  "  The  First 
Punic  War  "  and  spoken  of  at  the  time  as  the  "  War  for  Sicily." 
Carthage  was  now  mistress  of  a  great  portion  of  the  island,  and 
Rome,  now  mistress  of  Italy,  wished  to  possess  the  large  island 
so  near  her  own  peninsula. 

The  end  of  the  Syracusan  independence  took  place  during  the 
reign  of  Micro's  grandson,  Hieronymus.  Hieronymus  thought 
best  to  ally  himself  with  the  Carthaginians.  The  war  waged 
fiercely  for  twenty-three  years,  and  ultimately  the  allies  were 
overthrown,  and  Sicily,  with  Syracuse  its  chief  city,  became  a 
province  of  the  Roman  Empire.  Its  history  now  becomes  merged 
with  that  of  Rome. 


XII. 
THE   RULE   OF  DIONYSIUS 

"  Great  souls  are  not  those  which  have  less  passion  and  more 
virtue  than  common  souls,  but  those  only  which  have  greater 
designs."  —  La  Rochefoucauld. 

DIONYSIUS  was  the  son  of  Hermocrates  (not  the  tyrant 
of  that  name)  and  was  born  about  the  year  430  B.  C.  He 
began  life  as  a  clerk  in  some  public  office,  but  he  seems  to 
have  had  too  restless  a  spirit  to  continue  long  in  such  an  occupa- 
tion, so  we  soon  find  him  in  the  army,  which  he  joined  soon 
after  the  Athenian  siege  of  Syracuse.  He  had  been  in  several 
battles  under  the  leadership  of  Hermocrates  the  tyrant,  whom 
he  served  faithfully.  When  the  tyrant  forcibly  made  his  entry 
into  Syracuse,  from  which  he  had  previously  been  banished, 
the  people  fiercely  opposed  him.  A  fight  followed  in  which  he 
was  killed,  and  his  followers  either  killed  or  banished.  A  few, 
however,  escaped,  among  whom  was  Dionysius,  though  he  was 
severely  wounded.  Afterward  we  find  him  with  the  army  going 
to  the  aid  of  the  city  of  Akragas.  Through  suspicion  and  jeal- 
ousy, the  people  of  that  city  accused  the  leaders  of  the  army 
of  having  sold  them  to  their  enemies,  the  Carthaginians.  For 
this  and  other  reasons,  the  army  marched  away,  leaving  Akragas 
to  its  fate.  Before  its  fall,  most  of  the  inhabitants  forsook  the 
city,  and  about  40,000  persons  sought  refuge  in  other  towns. 
The  majority  of  them  went  to  Syracuse,  and  there  accused  the 
Syracusan  generals  of  treason.  They  were  strongly  supported  by 
Dionysius,  who,  in  his  speech  before  the  assembly,  broke  the 
rules  governing  that  body,  and  was  fined  repeatedly ;  each  time 
his  fine  being  paid  by  a  rich  man  in  the  audience.  The  people 
listened  attentively,  and  it  was  resolved  to  depose  the  generals 
and  elect  others  in  their  stead,  Dionysius  being  one  of  those, 
chosen. 


DIONYSIUS.  65 

The  rich  man,  Philisos,  who  was  one  of  the  chief  historical 
writers  of  Sicily  (though  his  writings  have  come  down  to  us 
only  in  fragments)  remained  a  firm  friend  to  Dionysius  for  a 
long  time. 

126.  In  406  B.   C.  Dionysius  took  his  first  step  toward  mak- 
ing himself  tyrant.     As  the  next  attack  from  the  Carthaginians 
was  expected  at  Gela,  Dionysius  was  sent  to  the  aid  of  the  gen- 
eral   ^rationed   there.      He   immediately   took   active   part   in   the 
politics  of  the  city,  and  by  accusing  them  of  treachery,  he  pro- 
cured the  condemnation  and  death  of  the  Geloan  generals,  and 
out  of  their  confiscated  goods,  gave  his  own  soldiers  double  pay, 
thereby   gaining   them   as   partisans.     Afterward   going  to   Syra- 
c:isr,  he  accused  the  Syracusans  of  having  received  a  bribe  from 
Himilkon.   In   B.   C.   405,   the  generals  being  deposed  by   a  vote 
of  the  assembly,   Dionysius  was  made  general  with  full  power; 
this  being  the  second  step  towards  tyranny. 

127.  Now,  needing  only  a  body-guard  to  complete  his  triumph, 
and  not  daring  to  ask  for  it  at  Syracuse,  he  marched  to  Leon- 
tinoi  with  all  his  men  under  forty  years  of  age,  and  there,  hold- 
ing a   military   assembly,  told   them   how   a   mutiny   had   sprung 
up  and  how  the  traitors  had  sought  to  kill  him.     He  was   im- 
mediately voted  a  body-guard  of  six  hundred  men,  which  he  soon 
raised  to   one  thousand.     He   now  became  tyrant. 

128.  In  the  meantime,  Gela  was  forsaken,  and  with  that  city 
and    Kamarina    taken    by    the      Carthaginian     general     Himil- 
kon,   there -remained    not   a    Greek   city   on   the    southern   coast. 
Great  indignation  broke  out  in  the  army  and  Dionysius'  horse- 
men  hastened   to    Syracuse   and   shamefully   ill-treated   the   gen- 
eral's  wife.     When   Dionysius   arrived  he   slew   or   banished   all 
whom  he  thought   deserved  such  punishment,  and  became   fully 
master    of    the    city.      He   then   made    a    treaty   with    Himilkon, 
through  which  Carthage  gained  dominion  of  the  whole  southern 
coast   and   a   large   portion   of   the   northern,    in    addition   to    its 
original  territory  in  the  west;  the  Sikels  were  to  be  free,  while 
Dionysius  was  to  be  protected  in  his  dominion  over  Syracuse. 

The  fact  seems  to  be  that  either  Dionysius  did  not  feel  strong 
enough  in  his  tyranny  to  struggle  against  Carthage,  and  so 


66  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

adopted  this  means  of  securing  sufficient  time  to  allow  him  fully 
to  establish  his  power  at  home,  or  that  he  had  the  intention  of 
ultimately  freeing  all  Sicily  from  its  enemies;  which  to  a  large 
extent  he  was  later  able  to  accomplish. 

129.  Although  he  never  stopped  at  any  means  by  which  he 
could  accomplish  his  purpose,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  took 
delight   in,   or   indulged   in,   any  wanton  oppression,  but   strictly 
kept  himself     from  all  those  excesses  that  were  the  means   of 
overthrowing  many  tyrants.     He  was  the  greatest  ruler  Europe 
had  ever  known;  his  power  extended  over  nearly  all  Sicily  and 
a  large  portion  of  southern  Italy.  He  made  Syracuse  the  largest 
and   most  powerful  city   in   the   whole   of   Europe.     The  thirty- 
eight  years  in  his  reign  cover  a  great  space  in  European  history, 
extending  from  the  latter  part  of  the  Peloponnesian  War  to  the 
rising   of   the   power   of    Philip   of   Macedon.     During   the   first 
eight  years  he  kept  peace  with   Carthage,  and  strengthened  his 
power  in  Syracuse  and   Sicily  by  building  and  fortifying. 

130.  It  is   said  that  he  bound  Syracuse  down  with  chains  of 
adamant.     Yet  he  began  disastrously,  for  in  his  first  war  against 
the   Sikels   he   was  very  nearly  overthrown,   and  had   to   call   in 
mercenaries  to  his  assistance.     He  drove  the   Sikels   away,  and 
then  discharged  his   foreign  troops  with  presents.     He  next  at- 
tacked   the   cities    of    Naxon,    Katana    and    Leontinoi.      He    de- 
stroyed the  first  and  sold  its   inhabitants  as   slaves.     Those  of 
Katana  and   Leontinoi   he  brought  to   Syracuse   and   gave   them 
citizenship.     The   towns   he   gave  over   to   the   Sikels. 

131.  Great  preparations  were  now  made  for  a  war  with  Car- 
thage, which  was  afterward  known  as  the  "  First  Punic  War," 
and  while  his  fortifications  and  navy  were  being  completed  he 
thought  to  strengthen  his  interests  by  marrying  Doris,  daughter 
of  one  of  the  chief  men  of  Lokroi.     On  the  same  day  he  also 
married   Aristomachus,   a   daughter  of   Syracuse.     This   was   ut- 
terly against  all  Greek  rule  or  custom,  but  he  kept  them  both, 
treating  them  kindly,  and  they  lived  together  'on  terms  of  equal- 
ity.    He  had  a  family  by  each. 

132.  The  First  Punic  War  began  in  397  B.  C.,  when  Diony- 
>sius   demanded  of  Carthage  the  freedorn  of  all  Greek  cities  in 


DIONYSIUS.  67 

Sicily,  and  being  refused,  the  war  commenced.  The  war  began 
in  the  Phoenician  northwest  corner  of  the  island.  During  the 
first  year  Motya  on  the  west  coast  was  taken  and  its  inhabitants 
sold  as  slaves.  The  next  year  the  Carthaginians  re-took  Motya, 
drove  the  Greeks  back  to  Syracuse,  captured  the  navy,  and 
Dionysius  lost  all  his  previous  year's  advantage,  besides  more 
than  one  hundred  ships  and  two  thousand  men.  Syracuse  was 
then  besieged  by  the  Carthaginians,  and  it  had  gone  badly  with 
the  city  had  not  Sparta  sent  help  with  ship  and  troops.  A  naval 
victory  was  won  over  part  of  the  Carthaginian  fleet,  and  later  on 
a  plague  broke  out  in  the  swampy  camp  of  their  army,  and  tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  situation,  Dionysius  gave  battle,  completely 
routed  the  enemy,  and  thus  brought  the  war  to  a  close. 

133.  Sicily  now  required  some  attention,  and  after  numerous 
battles  with  the  Sikels  and  Carthaginians,  we  find  the  island 
divided  between  Dionysius  and  Carthage.  Then  there  was  a  nine 
years'  peace,  and  the  tyrant  turned  his  attention  to  Italy.  Here 
he  marched  through  the  southern  portion,  taking  several  cities, 
one  after  another.  The  inhabitants  of  some  he  pardoned  and 
gave  their  liberty;  some  he  sent  to  Syracuse  and  gave  them 
citizenship;  and  some  few,  those  whom  he  hated,  he  sold  into 
slavery  and  destroyed  their  towns.  But  one  of  his  greatest  acts  of 
warfare  was  the  siege  of  Rhegion,  the  city  that  spurned  him 
when  he  sought  an  Italian  wife.  To -gain  an  ostensible  excuse 
for  declaring  war,  he  called  upon  the  city  for  supplies  for  his 
army,  hoping  they  would  refuse,  but  food  was  sent.  He  made 
sickness  the  excuse  for  prolonging  his  stay,  until  the  Rhegines 
became  tired  of  sending  him  supplies  and  refused  all  further 
help.  War  was  at  once  declared.  The  siege  lasted  eight  months, 
during  which  Dionysius*  attempts  to  take  the  city  by  assault 
were  always  repulsed.  The  tyrant  had  to  use  the  whole  of  his 
army  before  he  could  reduce  the  city  to  such  a  state  of 
starvation  that  the  gallant  defenders  no  longer  had  the  strength 
to  fight.  At  the  end  of  eight  months  Rhegion  surrendered 
unconditionally.  The  people  were"  sent  to  Syracuse,  and  all 
who  could  not  pay  a  certain  sum  were  sold  as  slaves,  the  others 
paying  their  ransom  being  set  at  liberty.  The  whole  hatred  of 


68  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

Dionysitis  was  centered  upon  the  brave  general  who  had  re- 
fused all  his  overtures  and  bribes  for  the  betrayal  of  the 
city,  and  after  suffering  tortures,  insults  and  degradations,  he 
and  his  whole  family  were  drowned. 

134.  During    the    peace    that    followed    Dionysius    sent    some 
poems    to    Delphi,   but   so    great   was    their    hatred    of   him,    the 
judges  would  not  hear  them.     Afterwards  they  gained  some  in- 
ferior prize ;   and  later,  the  first  prize.     There  is  no  doubt  that 
Dionysius  was  a  poet  of  some  merit. 

135.  Dionysius  tried  to  extend  his  power  beyond  the  Adriatic 
by    planting   colonies    and    forming    alliances    with    others,    until 
Sparta  checked  his  further  advance.     A  second  Punic  War  was 
undertaken,  but  this   time   Dionysius   was   compelled  to  pay  one 
thousand    talents    and    lose    some    of    his    territory,    and    in    the 
third   war,   which   occurred   some   years   after,   no   benefit   seems 
to   have  been   derived   on   either  side. 

136.  This  brought  the   long  reign   to   a   close,   for  Dionysius, 
having  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the  last  Punic  War,  heard 
his  poem  had  gained  the  first  prize,  was  so  elated  that  he  made 
great  sacrifices  to  the  gods,  and  indulged  in  such  an  excess  of 
wine  that  a  fever  set  in  and  he  died. 

137.  We  must  judge  a  man  by  the  time  in  which  he  lived, 
and  according  to  that  time  Dionysius'  rule  was  mild  and  to  some 
extent  just.     True  it  is  that  some  of  his  deeds  were  cruel,  but 
less  so  than  those  of  other  tyrants  of  his  age. 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  became  very  suspicious  of 
everybody  and  took  great  precautions  against  conspirators,  who, 
he  imagined,  intended  to  kill  him.  He  had  a  cave  hewn  out  of  a 
rock  which  he  then  had  connected^wlth  his  room.  In  this  he 
placed  his  suspects,  so  that  he  could  hear  all  that  was  said  by 
his  victims.  This  cave  was  known  as  the  "Ear  of  Dionysius." 


xni. 

THE  ARTS  OF  ANCIENT  EGYPT 

"Hail  to  thee,  O  Nile! 
Thou  showest  thyself  in  this  land 
Coming  in  peace,  giving  Ufe  to  Egypt. 

Shine  forth  in  glory,  O  Nile. 
—Hymn  to  the  Nile,  by  Enna,  contemporary  of  Moses. 

THE  British  Museum  has  lately  acquired  the  rnnmmy  of  a 
man  which  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  oldest  known 
body  of  any  human  being.  It  was  found  buried  in  an  oval, 
shallow  grave  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile.  The  body  had  been 
treated  with  a  preparation  of  bitumen.  It  lay  on  its  left  side 
with  hands  in  front  of  its  face,  and  its  knees  drawn  up  nearly  to 
its  chin.  The  grave  was  covered  with  rough  slabs  of  stone,  and 
in  it,  besides  the  body,  were  deposited  flint  knives  and  a  number 
of  vases,  together  with  the  remains  and  dust  of  funeral  offerings. 
The  style  of  the  burial  and  of  the  flint  instruments  found  there- 
in, shows  the  man  to  have  belonged  to  the  Neolithic  or  New 
Stone  Age.  This  will  take  us  back  past  the  period  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  through  Mediaeval  Europe  and  the  times  of  Greece  and 
Rome,  past  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  even  beyond  that  of 
Menes,  the  first  King  of  Egypt,  who  ruled  about  5004  B.  C. 
We  then  come  to  a  time  when  there  were  two  prehistoric  races 
in  Egypt,  one  the  conquerors  and  the  other  the  conquered,  out  of 
which  sprang  the  Egyptian  race  of  the  earliest  dynasties.  It  was 
to  these  ancient  races  that  this  mummy  belonged.  Certain  an- 
cient Egyptian  documents  contain  traditions  of  a  race  called  the 
Trehennu,  who  had  red  hair  and  blue  eyes.  This  body  had  dis- 
tinctly auburn  hair. 

Such   was   the  beginning   of   a   nation,   which,   in  the  time   ot 
King  Menes,  was  the  most  advanced  and  civilized  of  the  nations 


70  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

of  the  world.  Egypt  gradually  grew  in  strength  and  power,  un- 
til about  the  time  that  the  Israelites  settled  in  the  country,  when 
it  had  attained  its  greatest  strength.  It  was  not  until  after  the 
accession  of  Rameses  II  to  the  throne  that  the  country  began  to 
decline,  and  the  next  reign  saw  the  Israelites  depart,  while  the 
Ethiopians,  the  Hittites  and  the  Persians  were  continually  at 
war  against  it,  and  its  fall  was  rapid.  Then  the  Ethiopians  ruled 
the  country  and  later  Nebuchadnezzar  marched  against  Apries, 
King  of  Egpyt,  and  his  ally  Zedekiah,  King  of  Judah.  In  B.  C. 
586  Jerusalem  fell,  the  Egyptians  were  driven  back,  and  Egypt 
was  overrun  by  the  Babylonian  troops  and  finally  conquered. 
Then  the  king,  Amasis,  being  allowed  to  rule  as  a  dependent, 
and  the  country  being  free  from  foreign  attack,  seemed  to  regain 
courage  and  Egypt  again  became  as  flourishing  as  ever. 

140.  Pythagoras  was  born  in  580  B.  C.,  and  it  must  have  been 
about  this   time    (at  about  thirty  years   of  age)    that  he  visited 
Egypt  to  study  the  arts  that  were  then  at  their  height  of  excel- 
lence ;  and  as  much  the  admiration  of  the  world  as  now.     The 
greatest  attraction  of  Egypt  today  is  its  huge  mass  of  pyramids, 
its   colossal   statues,   its   tall   obelisks,   its    enormous   temples,   its 
deeply  excavated  tombs,  and  its  extensive  palaces,  but  at  the  time 
of  which  we  are  now  speaking,  there  was  another  attraction,  viz., 
the  high   state  of  culture  attained  by  its  priests. 

141.  The  architecture  of  the  Egyptians  was  of  the  grand,  mas- 
sive character.     There  is  no  single  work  in  existence  that  equals 
in  mass  the  First  or  Second  Pyramids.     They  were  built  some- 
time during  the  Fourth  Dynasty.     The  engineering  skill  required 
was  great,  and     the  workmanship  superb;   the  stones  of  which 
they  were  built   were   immense     blocks     of     granite,      perfectly 
squared,  and  the  casing  stones  were  polished  on  the  outside.  The 
Great  Pyramid  is  now  450  feet  9  inches  high,  and  the  sides  ot 
its  present  base,  746  feet.     It  has  lost  about  thirty  feet  in  con- 
sequence of  the  casing  stones  being  torn  off      There  were  three 
large  pyramids  and  six  smaller  ones,  besides  a  number  of  tem- 
ples and  tombs,  which  with  the  celebrated  Sphinx,  clustered  to- 
gether in  the  district  west  of  Cairo. 

The  temples  at  Karnak,  the  palace  tomUs.  at  Memphis,  and  the 


EGYPT.  71 

quarries  with  their  unfinished  work  still  in  place,  all  show  the 
massive  proportions  of  all  their  buildings.  Of  tne  arts  of  Egypt, 
then,  architecture  claims  the  first  position,  all  others  being  sub- 
servient to  it  The  Egyptian  temples  were  not  built  to  contain 
statues,  but  the  statues  were  made  to  ornament  the  temples, 
and  paints  to  decorate  the  walls.  But  the  object  of  decorating 
was  subordinate  to  that  of  commemorating,  and,  as  life  after 
death  was  the  predominating  belief  oi  the  people,  it  found  ex- 
pression in  the  construction  and  decoration  of  their  tombs,  which 
are  as  lasting  as  the  rocks  themselves. 

142.  The  art  of  painting  was  not  very  far  advanced,  the  pic- 
tures being  drawn  in  strongly  contrasting  colors,  yet  always  dig- 
nified, and  the  colors,  being  seen  only  in  the  bright,  glaring  sun- 
light  outside,   or  by   dim   twilight   inside   the   monuments,   were 
never  glaring.     The  painting  of  animal  forms  was  more  true  to 
nature  than  were  those  of  the  Greeks,  who  aimed  at  the  ideal. 

143.  One  of  the  most  perplexing  questions  of  this  day  is  the 
art  of  irrigation.     Congresses  are  taking  place  every  year  in  the 
interest  of  this  question ;  yet  the  ancient  Egyptians,  in  the  very 
earliest  time  of  their  history,  thoroughly  understood  it,  and  the 
most  perfect  works   of  ancient   irrigation  are  used  to  this   day,  , 
and    have   been    used    continually    for    thousands    of   years;    and 
though  numbers  of  the  old  canals  have  gone  to  decay,  they  still 
leave   their   traces   in   the   sands   of  time. 

144.  The  industrial  arts  were  carried  on  with  a  high  degree  of 
perfection.     In   the   manufacturing   of  furniture,   musical   instru- 
ments, and  the  carving  of  alabaster,  the  Egyptians  showed  great 
skill  and  taste.     There  were  a  great  variety  of  musical  instru- 
ments;  many   kinds   of  harps   played   with   the   hands   are   seen 
in  their  pictures,  also  the  lyre  played  with  a  picker;  the  guitar, 
which   many   suppose   to   have  been   the   invention   of  the  Latin 
races,   was   in   use  among  these  people.     The   Egyptians  played, 
too,  upon   flutes,  pipes,   tambourines,   cymbals  and   drums.     The 
musicians  were  probably  ignorant  of  harmony,  -but  on  account  ol 
the  number  and  variety  of  the  instruments  u'sed,  they  must  have 
had  a  fine  ear  for  music,  and  good  execution.    Danc.es  and  songs 
generally  accompanied  their  melodies,  and  by  the  pictures  we  find 
the  dancers  were   chiefly  girls. 


72  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

145.  The   art   of   making   linen   and   woolen   goods   was   well 
known  to  the  Egyptians,  and  their  workmanship  has  never  been 
surpassed,  as  is  shown  by  some  of  the  articles  taken  from  the 
tombs.     The   dresses   of  the   women   were   embroidered   In  very 
beautiful   patterns.      Sometimes   we   find   them   ornamented   with 
crewel  work.     The  designs  are  strange  to  our  eyes,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  pattern,  which  was  as  common  then  as  it  is  now; 
and  it  is  curious  to  find    that  the  common  blue-checked  pattern 
of  our  dimity  dusters  and  ho-use  aprons  was  in  general  use  more 
than  three  thousand  years  ago. 

The  double  stitch,  which  is  now  made  by  our  sewing  machines, 
was  worked  with  bone  needles  by  the  ancient  Egyptian  women. 
Knitting  was  also  a  common  accomplishment. 

146.  The  earliest  specimens  of  the  goldsmith's  art,  o<f  which 
we  have  any  knowledge,  had  their  origin  in  Egypt.     Gold  and 
silver   objects   of   beautiful   workmanship,     and     made     in     the 
earliest  times,  have  been  found.     At  Thebes  a  remarkable  set  o-l 
gold  ornaments  has  been  discovered,  which  is  3400  years  old,  and 
belonged  to  Queen   Aah-Hotop,  the  wife  of  Rameses.     The  set 
was   found   in   a   mummy  case   which   contained  the   remains   of 
the  queen.     Among  the  various  articles  were  a  diadem  of  gold 

'  and  lapis  lazuli,  a  square  brooch  set  with  precious  stones,  and  a 
gold  boat  with  silver  rowers,  upon  which  was  engraved  the  name 
of  Rameses.  We  are  told  by  the  Greek  historian,  Pliny,  that 
"  Egypt  stains  silver  in  order  to  see  her  darling  Anubis  upon  the 
plate ;  and  paints  the  metal  instead  of  chasing  it."  It  was  during 
their  captivity  in  Egypt  that  the  Israelites  learned  to  work  in 
metals,  and  were  afterwards  thus  able  to  make  the  sacred  vessels 
required  for  the  tabernacle. 

147.  The  art  of  embalming  was  one  of  the  most  important  of 
all    their   acquirements.      The    funeral   of   an    Egyptian   was    re- 
garded as  of  more  importance  than  any  event  of  his  life  time. 
He  who  enjoyed  a  bountiful  supply  of  this  world's  gifts  usually 
prepared  for  this  event,  by  having  the  walls  of  his  tomb  painted 
with  the  events  of  his  life,  and  his  sarcophagus  sculptured.     The 
period  of  mourning  for  the  dead  varied,  but  was  never  longer 
than  seventy-two  days.     During  this  time,  the  bodies  were  em- 
balmed, and  to  such  perfection  was  this  art  known,  that  the  bod- 


EGYPT.  73 

ies  are  preserved  perfect  to  this  day,  after  being  buried  for 
thousands  of  years,  and  in  the  instance  quoted  in  the  beginning 
of  this  sketch  at  least  eight  thousand  years  have  elapsed.  After 
being  embalmed,  the  body  was  then  bound  with  linen  bandages, 
the  last  of  which  was  covered  by  a  kind  of  pasteboard,  and 
painted  to  represent  the  future  state,  and  bearing  the  inscription 
"  The  Osiris  justified." 

148.  The  most  ancient  monuments  found  in  Egypt  are  covered 
with  writings.     This  fact  is  one  proof  of  the  great  length  of  time 
between  that  of  the  New   Stone  Age  mummy,  and  that  of  the 
Rameses;  time  enough  for  men  to  have  so  advanced  in  civiliza- 
tion and  culture  as  to  require  and  to  invent  a  system  of  recording 
thoughts  and  events.     The  writings  on  these  monuments  are  In 
hieroglyphics,  the  sacred  characters  of  the  Egyptians,  and  about 
one  hundred  years  before  Pythagoras  visited  Egypt  written  docu- 
ments were  first  produced.     All  writing  up  to  this  time  had  been 
inscribed  on  the  rocks  or  the  walls  of  the  tombs  and  temples, 
and  on  the  facing  stones  of  the  pyramids. 

The  elements  of  this  hieroglyphic,  or  picture  writing,  are  com- 
posed of  a  certain  number  of  objects,  both  natural  and  artificial, 
imitated  or  engraved  upon  walls  or  rocks.  Each  object  rep- 
resents its  own  vocal  sound,  as  does  each  letter  in  our  alphabet; 
this  form  of  writing  continued  to  be  in  general  use  until  700 
B.  C,  when  documents  were  needed.  The  hieroglyphics  being  too 
clumsy  for  business  purposes,  the  characters  were  greatly  sim- 
plified, and  the'  hieratic  methods  came  into  use.  After  a  further 
lapse  of  time,  writing  was  further  simplified  into  the  demotic 
characters,  which  may  be  called  the  alphabet  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  The  hieroglyphics  are  written  either  in  columns  or  in 
lines ;  the  latter  are  usually  read  from  right  to  left,  the  heads 
of  animals  and  like  signs  show  from  what  direction  it  is  to  be 
read,  while  the  later  styles  are  always  to  be  read  from  the  right. 
In  the  earliest  monuments,  the  alphabet  of  the  hieroglyphics  con- 
tained twenty-one  letters ;  some  ten  were  added  afterwards,  as 
nev.-  sounds  were  required  in  the  intercourse  with  foreign  na- 
tions. 

149.  The  creation  of  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics  was  due  en- 
tirely to  the  inventive  genius  of  Egypt,  unless,  indeed,  La  Plun- 


74  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

geon  is  correct  in  his  surmises,  when  he  says  that  Egyptian  civil- 
ization, arts  and  sciences  were  all  brought  to  Egypt  by  Queen 
Moo,  of  the  Maya  race  in  Central  America.  This  is  the  'sum- 
mary of  his  story  —  The  brother-husband  of  Queen  Moo,  after 
having  for  several  years  ruled  the  Maya  kingdom,  died.  Moo 
continued  to  reign  as  queen.  The  brother  of  the  Queen  revolted 
against  her  rule.  After  a  series  of  battles  and  sieges,  the  Queen 
was  driven  from  her  country;  she  determined  to  seek  protection 
in  the  island  of  Atlantis,  which  had  been  peopled  by  the  Mayas. 
She  and  her  followers  sailed  for  the  island,  but  could  not  find 
it,  it  having  disappeared ;  so  'she  determined  to  go  on  further  to 
her  brethren  in  Egypt.  Here  she  was  received  with  joy  by  the  in- 
habitants, and  was  made  their  Queen.  She  taught  them  the 
civilization  of  their  brothers  in  Maya-land,  together  with  the 
arts  and  sciences,  and  the  hieroglyphics. 


.    XIV. 
THE  SCIENCE  OF   ARABIA 

"  Wisdom  hath  alighted  upon  these  three  things  —  the  brain  of 
the  Franks,  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  and  the  tongue  of  the 
Arabs."  —  Mohammed  ed-Damiri. 

THE  two  Arabias,  the  "Felix,"  so  named  on  account  of  the. 
mildness  of  its  climate,  and  the     "  Desert,"     much     less 
thickly  peopled  than  the  former,  were  inhabited  by  several 
different  tribes,  some  of  whom  lived  in  towns  while  others  wan- 
dered about,  changing  from  place  to  place  as  the  necessities  of 
their  flocks  required.     The  latter  lived  in  tents  and  booths,  and 
preserved  their  patriarchal  form  of  government  for  ages. 

Saad  Ben  Ahmed,  who  was  at  one  time  Cadi  of  Toledo,  in 
Spain,  affirms  that  "  there  were  two  races  of  Arabs,  one  ol 
which  has  passed  away,  while  the  other  remains  still  in  exist- 
ence." The  former  being  the  people  supposed  to  have  inhabited 
Arabia  before  the  time  of  Abraham. 

151.  Both  our  own   Bible,   and   the  Arab's   Koran,   much   ot 
which  is  of  Hebrew  origin,  claim  that  the  Arabs  were  descended 
from  Abraham  through  Hagar,  the  bond  servant  of  Sarah.     One 
remembers    that   beautiful    and   pathetic    story   of    Ishmael,   and 
how  he  and  his  mother  nearly  perished  in  the  desert  for  want  of 
water,  and  how  this  same  Ishmael  was  the  father  of  twelve  sons, 
who  became  the  heads,  or  princes,  of  as  many  tribes  of  Arabs. 
Modern  research  shows  us,  however,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Ara- 
bia originally  came  over  from  Africa  by     two  different  routes, 
each  party  keeping  separate  and  distinct  from  the  other. 

152.  Thus   the   inhabitants   were   divided   into   two   branches. 
The  first  settlements  of  the  country,  according  to  the  tradition 
stories  and  a  few  writings  that  have  come  down  to  us,  was  at 
the  extreme  southwestern  point  of  the  peninsula,  near  the  present 
city  of  Aden,  and  thence,  extending  west  and  north,  populating 


76  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

Arabia  Felix  with  settlements  of  towns  and  villages,  whose  chief 
occupation  was  husbandry.  These  formed  the  southern  branch, 
or  Town  People. 

153.  The  origin  of  the  other  branch,  the  shepherds,  the  wan- 
derers, the  "Nomads,"  is  more  difficult  to  determine.     The  lan- 
guage, customs,  and.  habits  of  these  tribes  have  a  close  affinity 
to   those   of  the   south,   yet   they   greatly    differ   from   them,   and 
where  there   is   a   difference,   it   is   always  of  an   Asiatic  nature. 
Their  pastoral  tendencies,  their  nomadic  life,  their  idioms,  clan- 
nish feelings,  etc.,  are  all  of  Asiatic  origin,  and  directly  opposed 
to  the   southern   Arab's   ideas; 'still   the  groundwork   of  both   is 
undoubtedly  identical.     The  probability  faintly  indicated  by  tradi- 
tion is  that  they  entered  Arabia  as   shepherds,   from  the  north- 
west, crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  and  still  traveling  eastward, 
entered  the  plains  of  Mesopotamia  and  Chaldea;  and  after  a  long 
sojourn   there,   having  become   influenced  both     physically     and 
morally  by  their  contact  with  the  inhabitants  of  those  countries, 
they  returned  westward  to  the  country  already  occupied  by  their 
more  unchanged  kinsmen.    They  did  not  all  return  at  once,  how- 
ever, but  tribe  after  tribe,  according  to  the  pressure  brought  to 
bear  upon   them  by  their   Iranian   and   Turanian   neighbors.     In 
all  probability  the  last  contingent  to  leave  the  country  was  the 
clan  to  which  the  prophet  Mohammed  belonged.     This  accounts 
foi  the  second  branch  of  the  race,  as  stated  in  Biblical  narrative, 
and  of  tradition.     This  dual  division  of  the  people  still  continues 
to  exist, 

154.  The  history  of  the  Arabs,  before  the  era  of  Mohammed, 
is   one   of   quarrelings   and   strife.       Among   the   "Bedouins,"   or 
dwellers  in  the  open,  the  quarrels  occurred  through  the  stealing 
of  one   another's   flocks,   the   tribes  being   sometimes   reduced   to 
extreme  want,   or  over  particular  pasture   land,   or  the   right  to 
certain   wells. 

The  Southern  Arabs,  who  lived  in  towns,  comprised  six- 
sevenths  of  the  whole  population.  They  were,  of  necessity,  a 
more  enlightened  people  than  their  wandering  brothers  of  the 
north,  and  the  glorious  career  of  the  race,  that  the  nation  after- 
ward achieved,  came  from  these. 

155.  After  the  time  of  Mohammed,  the  kingdoms  of  the  south 


ARABIA.  77 

?rid  west  extended  their  empire  north  into  Persia,  Mesopotamia 
and  Afghanistan ;  then  they  gradually  crept  along  the  northern 
coast  of  Africa,  until  their  dominion  extended  the  length  of  the 
whole  southern  shore  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Afterwards 
they  pas'sed  onward  across  the  sea  that  separated  them  from 
Spain,  and  there  they  founded  a  mighty  and  glorious  empire. 
This  was  the  culmination  of  their  fortune;  for  when  they  were 
driven  out  and  retired  to  Africa,  they  gradually  sank  back  to  what 
they  had  been  before  the  time  of  their  rise  to  power.  In  Africa 
they  left  several  weak,  'Struggling  kingdoms  of  Arabs  in  Morocco, 
Tunis,  Fez,  etc. 

156.  Spain  was  conquered  by  the  Arabs  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighth  century,  and  after  settlement  of  the  country,  there  be- 
gan a  great  movement  toward  education.     Schools  and  universi- 
ties were  founded  and  endowed ;  and  so  great  was  the  reputation 
they    acquired,    that    students    from    alt    the    Christian    countries 
flocked  to  them  in  thousands,  and  the  Arabs  became  the  educa- 
tors  of  Europe.     It   is  to   these   universities   that   Europe   owes 
much  for  the  foundation  of  its  education,  especially  along  certain 
lines,   principal   among   which   is   that   of  mathematics. 

157.  But   the   science   upon    which   the   Arabs   mostly   prided 
themselves  was  that  of  their  own  language  and  its  modifications, 
the  construction  of  verse,  and  the  elegancies  of  their  discourse. 
They  had   their  astronomers   and   astrologers,   their   mathemati- 
cians and  grammarians,  their  poets  and  historians ;   their  musi- 
cians and  philosophers. 

158.  While  still   in  their  own  country  we  may  say  that  the 
early  Arabs  were  entirely  without  the  knowledge  of  architecture. 
The  only  buildings  known  of  these  early  people  are  a  few  old 
castles  and  dykes,  which  are  only  remarkable  for  the  coarseness 
of  material,  and  thickness  of  walls.    There  are  a  few  inscriptions, 
and  when  decipherable  show  a   dialect  akin  to  the  Abyssinian. 
Later,  when  the  Arabs  began  to  conquer  the  surrounding  nations, 
they  gradually  acquired  a  peculiar  style  of  architecture,  which 
continued  to  increase  in  beauty  and  loveliness   until   it  reached 
its  perfection  in  the  palace  of  the  Alhambra  in  Southern  Spain. 

159.  The  literature  of  the  Arabs  was  verv  extensive.     Even 
before  the  era  of  the  prophet,  Arabia  had  its  poets  of  no  ordinary 


78  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

degree  of  excellence,  but  after  that  era  we  find  men  who  were 
"Masters  of  the  Art."  They  did  not  excel  in  prose  writing,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  in  stories  and  romances.  The  "  Thousand  and  One 
Arabian  Nights,"  with  which  we  have  all  been  entertained,  was 
written  by  an  Arab  and  composed  in  Bagdad  in  .the  eleventh 
century.  Their  historical  writings  are  very  voluminous  but  in 
most  cases  childish. 

160.  The  science  of  Astronomy  was  naturally  evolved  out  ot 
Astrology,  and  it  made  great  and   rapid  progress.     They  were 
acquainted  with  the  rising,  setting,  and  course  of  the  stars;  tney 
calculated  the  obliquity  of  the  elliptic,  the  diameter  of  the  earth, 
and  even  the  processions  of  the  equinoxes,  with  great  accuracy. 
Several  treaties  on  the  subject  of  Astronomy  were  written  by  the 
Arabs.       At   the   university   city  of    Seville,    Spain,    Geber   con- 
structed the  first  astronomical  observatory  on  record.       (  NOTE.  ) 
The  force  of  attraction  was  dimly  seen  by  them. 

Yet,  with  all  this  knowledge,  they  still  thought  the  earth  was 
the  center  of  the  universe,  around  which  the  sun,  moon  and 
planets  revolved. 

161.  In  mathematics  the  Arabs  themselves  built  upon  and  ex- 
tended that  which  they  had  acquired  from  the  Greeks  and  In- 
dians (Hindoostanee).     Geometry  they  learned  from  the  former, 
while  the  latter  gave  them  algebra,  but  they  soon  far  outstripped 
their  teachers.    By  the  tenth  century  they  had  reached  trigonom- 
etry, quadratic  and  cubic  equations.    Optics  and  hydrostatics  were 
studied,  and  the  latter  applied  to  the  construction  of  wells,  canals, 
etc. 

162.  In  painting  they  attained  some  distinction,  although  they 
were  restricted,  by  their  religion,  to  vegetable  forms  and  color. 
They  made  great  use  of  glazed  tiles  and  stucco,  and  of  colored 
glass.  The  art  of  making  the  colored  glass  has  now  been  entirely 
lost  to  them.     Books  of  songs  have  been  numerous  and  all  of 
great  beauty,  and  it  seems  to  have  been  Tare  for  an  inferior  song, 
either  words  or  music,  to  have  been  written. 

163.  In  medicine  and  surgery  very  little  was  done  to  advance 

NOTE. — By  recent  discoveries  we  find  that  observatories  have  been  in 
existence  in  the  ancient  cities  of  Chaldea  at  Ur,  Ereck-Nippur,  several 
thousand  years  previously. 

(   UNIVERSITY  ) 


ARABIA.  79 

what  had  already  been  known  by  the  Greeks.  One  or  two  books 
were  issued,  but  were  only  enlargements  of  former  treatises. 

Botany  and  chemistry  received  close  attention  at  the  hands  of 
the  Arabs  and  some  very  valuable  discoveries  were  made  in  these 
lines.  The  principal  mercurial  and  arsenical  preparations,  the 
sulphates  of  several  metals,  the  properties  of  acids  and  alkalies, 
the  distillations  of  alcohol,  were  all  well  known  to  the  Arab 
chemist.  In  fact,  it  is  only  in  recent  times  that  the  chemical 
knowledge  of  the  world  has  materially  advanced  beyond  what  was 
known  by  these  people.  We  are  indebted  to  the  Arab  for  numer- 
ous words  used  in  this  science,  such  as  alcohol,  alkali,  alembic, 
etc.,  and  also  the  signs  used  for  the  drugs  themselves. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  "Science  of  Arabia/'  and  very 
little  material  advance  upon  any  of  them  has  been  made  until 
modern  times. 


XV. 
THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  PHOENICIA 

"  Upon  the  Syrian  sea  the  people  live 

Who  style  themselves  Phoenicians. 

These  were  the  first  great  founders  of  the  world — 

Founders  of  cities  and  of  mighty  states — 

Who  showed  a  path  through  seas  before  unknown." 

—  Dionysius  of  Susiana,  A.  D.  300. 

WHILE  Pythagoras  is  accredited  with  having  acquired  the 
knowledge  of  all  the  ages,  among  which  is  the  philos- 
ophy of  Phoenicia,  he  is  made  to  assume  that  which 
did  not  exist,  for  Phoenicia  was  not  a  philosophical  nation,  nor 
did  it  ever  possess  a  noted  philosopher. 

Rawlinson,  in  his  Ancient  Monarchies,  says,  "  The  Phoenicians 
were,  on  the  whole,  adapters,  rather  than  inventors.  They  owed 
their  idea  of  an  alphabetical  writing  to  the  Accadians,  their 
weights  and  measures  to  Babylon,  their  shipbuilding  probably  to 
Egypt,  their  early  architecture  to  the  same  country,  their  mimic 
art  to  Assyria,  to  Egypt  and  to  Greece.  They  were  not  poets, 
or  painters,  or  sculptors,  or  great  architects,  much  less  philoso- 
phers or  scientists ;  but  in  the  practical  arts  and  sciences  they 
held  a  high  place." 

Still  the  Phoenicians  were  a  people  from  whom  a  large  amount 
of  material  knowledge  could  have  been  obtained,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  "  our  philosopher  "  did  obtain  a  good  deal  from  them 
that  he  found  useful  in  teaching  his  disciples  at  Crotona  and 
other  places. 

The  Phoenicians  were  traders,  merchants,  manufacturers  and 
miners,  and  as  their  business  carried  them  all  over  the  known 
world,  they  naturally  became  colonizers. 

165.  We  have  seen  in  another  sketch  that  they  originally  lived 
in  southern  Chaldea,  and  belonged  to  the  same  group  of  nations 


PHCENICIA.  81 

as  the  Assyrians,  later  Babylonians,  Syrians,  Arabians,  Moabites, 
and  Hebrews.  They  first  lived  on  the  coast  of  the  Persian  Gulf. 
In  some  remote  period  they  migrated  to  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. Trogus  Pornpeius  says,  "The  Syrian  nation  was 
founded  by  the  Phoenicians,  who,  being  disturbed  by  an  earth- 
quake, left  their  native  land  and  'settled  first  of  all  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Assyrian  Lake,  (the  Sea  of  Nedjif,  a  sheet  of 
water  in  the  neighborhood  of  Babylon)  and  subsequently  on  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  where  they  built  a  city  which  they 
called  Sidon,  on  account  of  the  abundance  of  fish,  for  the 
Phoenicians  called  a  fish  "  sidon." 

166.  Rawlinson    says    they    are    a    people    of    "  Industry    and 
perseverence,   audacity   in   enterprise,   adaptability  and   pliability, 
acuteness  of  intellect,  unscrupulousness,  and  want  of  good  faith." 
They  were  certainly  in  early  times  the  most  industrious  of  man- 
kind; those  who  were  not  in  the  workshops  were  roaming  about 
the  seas,  without  chart,  without  compass  and  with  only  the  stars 
to  guide  them,  and  thus  they  penetrated  even  beyond  the  Pillars 
of   Hercules    (Straits   of   Gibraltar.)      From   the   islands   of  the 
eastern   Mediterranean,   they  launched   forth   upon   the   unknown 
sea   in   fragile   ships,   confronted   the  perils   of   wave  and  storm, 
and   the   still   more    dreadful   peril   of   "  monsters   of   the   deep." 
They   explored  the   Adriatic   and   Black      Seas     and     wandered 
about  the  Islands  of  the  Aegean;  thence  they  traversed  the  west- 
ern   Mediterranean,   which   became   thoroughly   known   to   them. 
They  afterwards  passed  the  Straits  of  Gibralter  "  into  the  wild 
and  boundless  Atlantic  with  its  mighty  tides,  its  high  rollers,  its 
blinding    rains,    and    its    frequent    fogs."      They    penetrated    the 
shores   of   Scythia,   they   discovered   the   islands   of   Britain,   and 
entered  the  Baltic   Sea,  they  advanced  along  the  west,  coast  of 
India;  and  two  thousand  years  before  Vasco  de  Gama  discovered 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  Phoenicians,  starting  from  the  Red 
Sea,  had  doubled  the  "Cape  of  Storm's"  and  succeeded  in  sail- 
ing completely  around  the  continent  of  Africa. 

167.  The  chief  cities  of   Phoenicia   were  five   in  number,  and 
there  were  also   some  of  secondary   importance.     Of  these  five 
Sidon  and  Tyre   were   the   leaders.     The   former  was   the   most 


82  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

ancient  of  all.  In  Genesis  it  is  called  "  the  Eldest  City  of  Canaan." 
It  was  built  on  the  level  plains  between  the  mountains  and  the 
sea  opposite  a  small  promontory  which  projected  into  the 
sea  toward  the  west.  Its  principal  harbor  lay  to  the  north  of  the 
peninsula,  being  protected  from  the  winds  by  a  chain  of  islands, 
stretching  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  It  was  naturally  a  very 
fine  roadstead,  and  was  easily  improved  into  a  most  excellent 
harbor,  by  a  line  of  walls,  built  out  from  the  shore,  to  the  most 
easterly  of  the  islands.  To  the  south  of  the  peninsula  was  an- 
other harbor,  which,  while  not  so  safe,  was  larger.  Very  little 
of  the  ancient  city  is  left,  there  being  a  few  remains  between 
the  modern  city  and  the  mountains,  and  an  acropolis  toward  the 
south. 

168.  Twenty  miles  south  of  Sidon  was  the  -still  more  impor- 
tant city  of  Tzur    or  Tyre.     "Tzur"  means  a  rock,  and  the  city 
was  built   on  the  largest  of  the  rocky  inlets,  not   far   from   the 
coast.     It  was  covered  with  houses,  fortified,  and  in  place  of  a 
bare  rock  grew  a  city.     Being  of  so  small  a  size  the  inhabitants 
soon   overgrew  its   capacities,  and  a   second  town   was  built  on 
the  mainland  opposite,  the  two  cities  being  under  one  rule.  The 
latter  town  fell  into  decay  about  the  time  of  Alexander.    The  is- 
land upon  which  the  city  was  built  is  one  of  a  chain  of  islands 
running  parallel  with  the  coast,  there  being  three  others  on  the 
south  and  'seven  on  the  north  of  it,  and  between  these,  two  or 
larger  size   which   were   made   into   one  by   filling   in   the   space 
between  them.     This  island  was   further  enlarged  by  structures 
built  out  into  the  sea  on  the  south,  making  altogether  a  circum- 
ference of  about  two  and  one  half  miles.     The  whole  town  was 
protected  by  a   lofty  wall.     The   portion  of  it  which   faced  the 
mainland   was   one   hundred   and   fifty   feet   high.   On   the   south 
the  foundation  of  this  wall  is  still  seen  in  the  sea.     It  also  had 
two  harbors,  the   principal   of   which   was   protected  by  a   chain 
across  its  entrance. 

169.  The  most  southern   of  the   Phoenician   cities  was  Joppa, 
which  was  built  on  the  slope  of  a  low  hill  near  the  sea  and  pos- 
sessed  a   fairly  good  harbor.   It  was   the  seaport  of  Jerusalem, 
and  was  the  port  of  trade  between  that  city  and  Phoenicia.     To 
this  place  was  brought  the  timber  for  Solomon's  temple  and  also 


PHOENICIA.  83 

the  "wheat,  barley,  oil  and  wine"  that  the  Phoenicians  received  in 
return. 

170.  Throughout  the  islands  and  Asiatic  coast  of  the  eastern 
Mediterranean,  the  Phoenicians  planted  their  colonies.     The  most 
important  of  these  were  Cyprus,  Rhodes  and  Crete.   Several  is- 
lands of  the  Aegean  Sea  also  received  their  inhabitants  from  the 
same  source.     In  the  western  Mediterranean,  cities  were  estab- 
lished on  the  coast  of  Africa,  of  which  Carthage  was  the  largest 
and   most   powerful.     On   the   island   of   Sicily,   the   Phoenicians 
colonized  the  northwestern  corner.     Malta,  Sardinia,  the  Balearic 
l>les  and  Spain  were  also  colonized  by  Phoenicians.    Their  trade, 
however,  did  not  stop  at  these  places  for  it  was  carried  on  be- 
yond their  farthest  settlement,  into  Gaul  and  Britain,  and  in  the 
opposite  direction  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  as  far  south  as  Sene- 
gambia. 

171.  Their  sculpture  was  rude,  though  life-like,  but  they  ex- 
celled in  metal  work.     Solomon  employed  a  native  of  Tyre  for 
the  ornamentation  of  his  temple,  and  the  making  of  the  "  Molten 
Sea,"   an   enormous   bronze  basin   fifteen   feet   in   diameter,   sup- 
ported upon  twelve  oxen.    Numerous  other  objects  of  metal  were 
made  for  the  Temple  by  Phoenicians.     Gold,   silver,  copper  and 
bronze   were   worked   by   these   people   into  bowls,     basins     and 
other  beautiful  articles.     One  of  the  most  striking  of  their  man-" 
ufactures  was  glass  variously  colored.     They  made  three  kinds ; 
a  transparent,  colorless  glass,  a  colored  glass  that  the  eye  could 
not  'see  through,  and  an  opaque  glass  resembling  porcelain.    The 
purple   dye  for  which  Tyre  had  long  been  noted  was  obtained 
from  the  sac  of  the  mollusk  "  Purpura." 

172.  The  Phoenicians  were  expert  miners,  and  were  the  ear- 
liest people,  of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  who  undertook  to 
"mine"  for  metals.     Surface  mining,  or  gathering,  had  been  en- 
gaged in  more  or  less  by  all  nations,  but  to  dig  underground  was 
first  attempted  by  the  Phoenicians.     Thev  had  mines  in  their  own 
country,  in  Cyprus,  Thrace,  Sardinia,  Spain  and  Britain ;  the  re- 
mains of  some  of  which  can  still  be  seen.    The  methods  employed 
were  not  unlike  those  of  today.     They  used  shafts  and  galleries ; 
the  roofs  were  propped  with  timbers;   the  ores   were   crushed. 


84  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES.  ' 

pounded,  and  washed,  the  mines  being  mostly  worked  by  slave 
labor. 

Thus  we  discover  much  that  is  creditable  to  the  Phoenicians, 
and  while  they  had  no  school  of  philosophy,  they  were  inventors 
and  workers  in  metals,  and  in  the  practical  things  oi  life. 


XVL 
THE  LORE  OF  THE  CHALDEAN  SAGES 

"May  God,  my  Creator,  take  my  hands.  Guide  Thou  the  breath 
of  my  mouth;  guide  Thou  my  hand."  —  Ancient  Accadian 
Hymn. 

THE  extensive  region  in  western  Asia,  to  which  the  Greeks 
gave  the  name  of  Mesopotamia,  and  which     in     ancient 
times  was  known  as  Chaldea,   Babylonia,  or  Accad,  was 
already,  at  the  period  which  lies  farthest  back  in  the  memory  ol 
mankind,    the    center   of    a    great    civilization,    rivalling    that    of 
Egypt,  and  disputing  with  Egypt  the  honor  of  having  been  the 
cradle  of  civilization  in  the  East. 

174.  Although    Babylon   and    Nineveh   were    each,     in     their 
turn,   homes   in   which   the  bold   and   intellectual  geniuses  were 
kindled,  yet  it  is  neither  in  the  capital  of  Chaldea  nor  in  that  of 
As'syria  that  we  have  the  earliest  traces  of  this  great  civilization; 
but  we  find  it  in  a  country  south  of  these,  in  lower  Chaldea,  a 
country  formerly  very  fertile,  and  the  place  toward  which  tradi- 
tion points,  and  where  the  oldest  records  have  been  found.     The 
exploration  of  the  mounds  or  tells  which  cover  the  old  cities  ot 
the  two   Sipparas    (Sepharvaim)    Eridu,   Larsa,   Ur    (the   native 
c:ty  of  Abraham),  and  Erech,  gives  us  a  surprising  account  of 
the   advance    of    civilization   and    culture   that    existed   in    these 
early   timei, 

175.  The  earliest  inhabitants  of  this  region  were  undoubtedly 
of  Semitic  origin,  and  came  into  the  country  either  from  India 
or  Arabia  (see  sketch  on  Arabia)  and  had  lived  there  long  enough 
to  have  grown  in  numbers,  and  to  have  become  as  civilized  as 
described  in  the  record's  found  in  the  ruined  city  of  Erech,  and 
which  date  back  to  about  7,000  B.  C.     Although  this  date  needs 
further  verification,  it  is  certain  that  sometime  before  4,000  B.  C. 
a  certain  King,  Lngal-Zaggisi,  ruled  over  the  city  of  Erech,  and 


86  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

we  are  told  that  he  was  the  "King  of  Erech,  King  of  the  World," 
and  that  "he  had  filled  all  lands  with  his  renown,  and  subdued 
them  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  setting  of  the  'sun,  and 
made  straight  his  path  from  the  lower  sea  of  the  Tigris  and 
Euphrates  to  the  upper  sea"  (the  Mediterranean). 

176.  He  laid  the  foundation  of  the  temple  in  which  was  found 
an    immense    library,    containing   books    upon    all    subjects,    and 
which  shows  us  that  Chaldeans  were  very  little  inferior  .to  our- 
selves in  the  matter  of  education.    As  these  books  or  tablets  arc 
gradually   being   translated    by   the    finder,    Prof.    Hilprecht,    ol 
Pennsylvania  University,  we  shall  soon  know  more  of  this  mat- 
ter; but  enough  has  already  been  read  for  us  to  know  that  some 
7,000  years  ago  or  more,  the  people  of  Erech,  Ur,  an4  other  Chal- 
dean cities,  knew  that  the  earth  was  round,  that  they  had  made 
astronomical   calculations   as   to  the   distances   of  the   stars   and 
planets,  and  that  they  believed  the  sun  to  be  the  center  of  the 
universe.     Prof.  Hilprecht  tells  us  that  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing subjects  is  one  of  mathematics.  The  Babylonian  tables  went 
as  far  as  sixty  times  sixty,  and  for  astronomical  purposes  they 
carried  the  numbers  out  to  thirteen  hundred  times  thirteen  hun- 
dred.    The  school  children  had  to  learn  to  read  and  write  two 
languages,  their  own  and  the  Sumerian." 

177.  Only  a  small  portion,  about  a  twentieth  part,  o*f  the  li- 
brary has  so  far  been  explored,  and  yet  23,000  tablets  have  been 
brought  home.     Only  a  few  of  these  have  been  translated,  but 
those  that  have  already  been  examined  show  us  work  of  every 
branch  of  literature,  historical  texts,  dictionaries,  lists  of  Sumer- 
ian  (sacred  language)    words  with   Semitic  equivalents,   lists  of 
birds,  animals,  plants  and  stones,  names  of  articles  of  furniture, 
hymns,  the  number  and  revenue  of  the  temples  of  Nippur,  and 
tablets  containing  grammatical  sentences  written  by  students,  etc. 

From  the  above  one  may  form  an  idea  of  the  importance  of  the 
information  we  shall  have  of  these  times  when  the  whole  library 
is  translated  and  given  to  the  world. 

178.  But  the  library  of  Ur  was  perhaps  more  celebrated  than 
that  of  Erech,  for  when  Babylon  was  built  and  its  library  estab- 
lished—  and  this  seems  to  have  been  among  the  first  requisites 


CHALDEAN  SAGES.  87 

of  a  new  city  —  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  King,  ordered  a  copy  of  the 
whole  library  of  Ur  to  be  placed  within  it. 

179.  As  the  cities  grew  in  power  and  importance,  and  each 
strove   for  supremacy,  we  find  that  the   city  of  Erech  first  be- 
came  the   head   of  the   confederacy,    and    kept    its    power    for 
several  hundred  years;  then  Ur  rose  to  the  same  position  and 
afterward  Larsa  was  supreme  in  the  country.  Thus  several  hun- 
dred years  before  Abraham's  time ;  before  Greece  became  a  na- 
tion; or  Rome  was  founded;  sixteen  or  seventeen  hundred  years 
before  the  siege  of  Troy,   Chaldea  was   a  crowded  country  ol 
highly  cultivated  people. 

180.  The  first  king  of  Ur  of  whom  we  have  any   record   is 
one  who  claimed  supremacy  over  the  whole  of  Babylonia.     He 
erected  the  great  temple  and  adorned  those  of  Erech,  Nippur  and 
Larsa,  and  built  temples  of  large  size  for  other  cities.  He  seems  to 
have  been  the  first  great  Babylonian  builder.     A  study  of  these 
temples  shows  that  the  knowledge  of  the  arts  and  sciences  was 
not  even  then  in  its  infancy.     The  use  of  buttresses,  of  drains, 
of   ornamentation   both    external    and(  internal   was   known   and 
used.      Cuneiform    writing,    evolved    from    a    primitive    form    of 
hieroglyphics,    was    fully   developed,    and   stone   was    elaborately 
carved  and  used  as  signets. 

181.  From  time  to  time,  either  from  over  population  or  from 
pressure  of  Arab  invasions,  bands  of  Chaldeans  left  their  native 
homes  to  found  other  cities  and  nations,  and  among  these  were 
the  Phoenicians,  who  started  across  the  desert,  or  travelled  north, 
skirting  the  desert  in  northern  Syria,  and  then  down  the  coast  to 
the  'sites  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.     Centuries  after  this   emigration, 
Terah  and  his  tribe  left  "Ur  of  the  Chaldees"  to  settle  in  Pales- 
tine, and  to  found  the  nation  of  the  Israelites. 

182.  Long   before    this    event,    however,    the    records    tell    us 
that  Gudea,  King  of  Lagash,  was  not  only  ruler  over  the  whole 
of  Babylonia,  but  had  conquered   Arabia  and     Lebanon,      from 
which  two  countries  he  brought  home  stones  and  timber.     He 
then  annexed  the  country  east  of  Jordan,  and  the  Sinaitic  Pen- 
insula.    In  the  latter  place  he  built  temples,  the  ruins  of  which 
may   still   be   seen. 

183.  Two  thousand  years  before  Abraham  left  for  the  "  Prom- 


88  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

ised  Land,"  Sargon  founded  and  built  the  city  of  Accad,  about 
seventy  miles  north  of  Babylon,  and  then  extended  his  power 
to  the  Great  Sea  beyond.  He  'says  of  himself,  inscribed  on  a  rock, 
"  For  forty-five  years  I  have  ruled  the  kingdom,  the  Accadian 
race  I  have  governed;  in  multitudes  of  bronze  chariots  I  rode 
over  rugged  lands ;  I  governed  the  upper  countries.  Three 
times  to  the  coast  of  the  'sea  I  advanced." 

184.  The   arch,   which   was   always   supposed  to   have  been   a 
comparatively  modern  invention,   is   found  to  have  existed  over 
six  thousand  years  ago,  in  a  structure  under  a  temple  of  Sar 
gon's  time.     This  was  built  of  brick,  and  when  found,  was  in  a 
perfect  condition. 

185.  All  this  has  been  told  us  by  means  of  written  records; 
but  writing  means  the  use  of  an  alphabet,  and  the  alphabet  was 
always  supposed  to  have  been  invented  by  the  Phoenicians.     We 
now  'see,  however,  that  the  alphabet  was  in  use  long  before  the 
tribes  that  ultimately  formed  the  Phoenician  nation,  had  left  their 
native  land,  and  that  when  they  did  so,  they  carried,  not  only  the 
alphabet,  but  their  whole  system  of  civilization  with  them. 

186.  About  630  B.  C.  a  'revolution  took  place  in  Asia.    A  No- 
mad  people   came   down   from   the   mountains     and     conquered 
Syria  and  Babylonia,  and  extended  its  rule  to  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  their  King,  Nebuchadnezzar,  thus  ruled  over 
a  vast  empire.    This,  in  turn,  was  overthrown  by  Cyrus,  and  an- 
nexed to  the  Persian  dominions. 

187.  We  now  come  to  about  the  time  when  Pythagoras  either 
visited  Chaldea,  or  became  acquainted  with  the  Chaldean  sages 
in  Egypt.     We  have  seen  how  ancient,  even  in  his  time,  was  the 
knowledge  or  lore   of  these  people,    (it  was  then  at  least  5,ooo 
years  old)  ;  and  we  have  seen  something  of  the  knowledge  that 
this  people  possessed  at  the  time  when  the  earliest  known  rec- 
ords were  written;  and  this  in  all  probability  takes  us  back  some 
seven  thousand   years.     Let  us   now   see,   somewhat  more   fully, 
the  "  Open  book  "  of  the  Chaldean  lore  that  Pythagoras  had  ac- 
quired. 

188.  Wte  have  seen  that  architecture  was  by  no  means  in  its 
infancy.     The  material   in  use  was  brick,  as   they  possessed   no 
stone  until  their  kingdom  extended  itself  north  into  the  moun- 


CHALDEAN  SAGES.  89 

tainous  regions,  where  the  Assyrians  used  their  native  product, 
though  not  exclusively.  In  the  south,  the  people  being  of  a  more 
religious  turn,  erected  temples  and  tombs,  while  the  northern 
tribesmen  built  palaces.  The  Chaldean  temples  were  huge 
masses  of  brick  work,  ornamented  on  the  outside  with  bright 
colored  paints,  and  with  bronze  and  gilt.  They  were  supported 
by  buttresses,  and  the  rain  was  carried  off  by  leaden  pipes.  The 
sculpture  was  small  in  size  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  stone.  The 
carvings  on  some  of  the  signet  cylinders  are  so  very  fine  that  it 
seems  probable  that  some  sort  of  magnifying  lens  was  used.  The 
work  on  the  cylinder  of  the  earliest  King  of  Ur  is  of  a  high  order 
of  merit. 

189.  Gem  cutting  and  pottery  were  carried  to  a  considerable 
degree   of   perfection.    Bronze   and    copper   instruments    were    In 
abundance,  and  iron  not  unknown.     Gold  ornaments  were  beauti- 
fully executed.     Terra  cotta  models   of  great  beauty  have  been 
found,  and  in  the  time  of  Sargon  the  making  of  glass,  with  beau- 
tiful   iridescent   colors,    had   long  been   an    established    industry. 
Their   carpets   and   variegated   dresses   were   highly  prized;    and 
their  knowledge  of  musical  instruments  extensive. 

190.  We  have  seen  how  ancient  was  the  knowledge  of  astron- 
omy.    Ur  had  its  royal  observatory,  as  had  all  other  large  cities. 
The  Royal  Astronomer  sent  in  his  report  to  the  King  twice  a 
month.     The  stars  were  all  named  and  numbered;  the  calendar 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty  days  was  arranged,  a  month  being 
added  every  six  years,  while  the  priests  added  others  as  they  saw 
the  necessity.     The  eclipse  of  the  sun  had  been  both  calculated 
and  recorded  from  very  ancient  times.    Works  on  astronomy  had 
been  written.     Mathematics  was  much  advanced,  and  one  tablet 
contains  correctly  the  'squares  and  cubes  from  one  to  sixty.  The 
sages  were  acquainted  with  the  sun-dial,  the  level,  the  pulley,  and 
the  lens.     Grammars,  reading  books  and  dictionaries  were  com- 
mon.       Among   the    most    interesting   of   these   books    are      the 
"  Hymns   to  the   Gods,"   resembling   in   form   and   substance   the 
Hebrew  Psalms. 


XVIL 
THE  OCCULT  MASTERIES  OF  THE  PERSIAN  MAGI 

"We  praise  all  good  thoughts,  all  good  deeds,  which  are  or  shall 
be,  and  we  likewise  keep  clean  and  pure  all  that  is  good" 
—  Hymn  of  the  Persian  Magi. 

BEFORE  searching  into  the  mysteries  of  the  Magi,  we  must 
find  out  something  of  the  country  of  which  they  were  a 
very  important  factor.  Persia,  or  Iran,  as  the  people  called 
their  country,  lay  to  the  east  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Tigris 
and  Euphrates,  and  included  the  whole  upland  country  from 
Kurdistan  to  Afghanistan.  The  inhabitants,  together  with  otner 
tribes  of  the  same  race  and  their  kinsmen  in  India,  were  Aryans, 
and  hence  the  names  "  Eran,"  "  Iran,"  "  Ardashir."  The  first 
King  of  the  Sassanian  Dynasty  is  called  on  their  coins,  "King  of 
the  King  of  Eran,"  and  his  son,  "King  of  the  King  of  Eran  and 
Non-Eran;"  and  he  had  as  non-Aryan  subjects  the  population  of 
Chaldea  or  Babylonia,  and  other  peoples  of  the  Semitic  race.  The 
modern  Iran  comprises  only  a  portion  of  the  old  Iranian  empire. 

192.  At  a  very  early  period  there  were  several  regular  monar- 
chies of  some  size  established  in  the  Iranian  Plateau ;  and  there 
is  evidence  of  an  old  and  somewhat  civilized  empire  'situated  in 
Bactria,  a   land  inhabited  by  a  kindred   race,  and  lying  to  the 
east  of  Iran  on  the  river  Oxus,  and  northeast  of  Afghanistan. 

193.  The  Medes,  however,  seem  to  have  been  the  first  to  es- 
tablish a  kingdom  in  Persia,  although  in  all  probability  they  were 
included   in   the  great   empire   of   Bactriana,   as   the   Zendavesta, 
the   sacred  book  of  Persia    seems  to   infer.     In  a  certain  prin- 
cipality, of  which  Ecbatana  was  the  chief  town,  and  which  for 
thousands  of  years  had  held  the  rank  of  capital,  there  ruled  a 
certain  Deioces,   and   during   his   reign,   and   those   of  his   three 
successors,    which    lasted   three   hundred   years,   the   principality 
gradually  merged  into  the  Great  Median  Empire. 


PERSIAN  MAGI.  91 

194.  The  reign  of  Deioces  was  much  troubled  by  the  incur- 
sions of  the  Assyrians,  whose  territory  joined  Media  on  the  west. 
Herodotus  tells  us  that  Deioces  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  King 
of  Assyria  and  his  land  conquered  in  713  B.  C.     This  ruler  was 
not,  as   the   Persians   were  afterward   so   fond  of  calling  them- 
selves, "  King  of  Kings,"  for  several  times  he  had  to  bow  to  the 
Assyrian  yoke,  but  he  was  the  founder  of  a  dynasty  and  an  em- 
pire. 

195.  The  second  King  of  Media  was  Phraortes,  who  extended 
his  sway  beyond  the  limits  of  Media  and  conquered  Persis,  or  Per- 
sia proper,  which  was  then  ruled  by  its  own  kings,  they  thus  becom- 
ing vassals  of  the  Sultan  "  who  had  his  seat  in  Ecbatana."    Dur- 
ing the  seventy-five  years  covering  the  time  of  these  two  reigns, 
the  power  of  the  Assyrian  empire  had  fallen  very  low,  so  that 
Media  received  no  further  trouble  from  that  source. 

196.  The  reign  of   Cyaxere's,  the   next  King,   B.   C.   625-685, 
brought  the  empire  to  its  highest  strength  and  power.  His  army 
having  been  thoroughly  trained  and  organized  he  took  the  field 
against  Nineveh  and  besieged  it,  but  he  was  obliged  to  return 
without  having  accomplished  his  purpose,  to  repel  an  invasion  ol 
the  northern  barbarians  who  had  overrun  his  own  country.  Hav- 
ing come  to  some  terms  with  the  invaders  he  invited  them  ancl 
their  chief  to  a  feast,  and  when  he  had  made  them  drunk  he  slew 
them  all.     He  then  returned  a  second  time  to  Nineveh,  and  with 
the  aid  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of  Babylon,  he  took  the  city, 
made  Nebuchadnezzar  King,  and  gave  him  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage.   He  next  conquered  Armenia  and  Cappadocia  and  then  be- 
gan his  campaign  against  Lydia.     A  battle  took  place,  585  B.  C., 
but  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  occurring  during  the  progress  of  the 
fight,  stopped  the  battle,  and  peace  was   soon  afterward  estab- 
lished. 

197.  Of  the   reign   of  his   son,  Astyages,   nothing   definite   is 
known,  but  he  seems  to  have  been  a  cruel  ruler  and  his  cruelty 
probably  caused  the  revolt  of  Cyrus,  King  of  Persia,  who  over- 
threw  the   Great   Median   Empire,   and   established   in   its   stead 
Persian   dominion.     The   former   was   not   really   destroyed,  but 
was  transformed  into  the  Persian  Empire,  both  by  the  will  of  the 
Aryan  race  and  by  the  rule  of  Cyrus.    One  dynasty  simply  gave 


92  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

place  to  the  other.  Cyrus  soon  made  himself  master  of  Media, 
Asia  Minor  and  Syria,  while  Egypt  was  made  tributary,  and  the 
empire  was  also  extended  east  into  India. 

198.  From  the  very  first  of  the  recorded  history  of  the  Medes 
we  find  that  the  Magi,  one  of  their  tribes,  was  a  priestly  order. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Zoroastrian  religion  was  a  slate  re- 
ligion, and  that  the  Magi  tribe  had  been  appointed  as  its  priests. 
The   religion   itself   dates   much   further  back   than   the    Persian 
Empire.     It  arose  in  the  "  far  east,"  probably  in  that  great  Bac- 
trian  Empire  mentioned  above.     The  Magi  were  the  guardians  of 
all    religious   observances.        It   was   to    them    that    the    people 
applied  asking  what  day  to  sacrifice,  what  sacrifice  to  offer,  and 
to  which  god.     As  the  Magi  were  all  of  one  tribe,   (as  none  but 
the  son  of  a  priest   could  become  a  priest)   and  as  all   learning 
and  knowledge  were  kept  strictly  to  themselves,  both  in  religious 
and   political   matters,    their   power   and   authority   became   very 
great.    They  were  the  sages,  philosophers  and  wise  men  of  Persia. 
Their  reputation  drew  men  from  long  distances  who  wished  to 
be  instructed  by  them  in  philosophy  and  religion  ;  and  there  are 
some   old   writers   who   assure   us   that   it   was    from   them   that 
Pythagoras  borrowed  those  principles  of  philosophy  which  made 
him  so  famous  among  the  Greeks. 

199.  The    author   and    founder    of   the    Magian    religion    was 
Zoroaster,  a  reformer  who  lived  somewhere  in  northern  Media. 
He  quitted  his  country,  however,  and  started  for  the  land  to  the 
east  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  called  Bactria,  which  was  governed  by 
a   king   named   Gustasp,   who   became   his   disciple   and   admirer. 
Hers   his   new    religion   was    started   and   took    root,   and    from 
thence  it  soon  spjead  all  over  Iran.     Zoroaster,  himself,  tells  us 
that  this  empire  comprised  all  the  country  east  of  the  Caspian  as 
far  as  and  including  Hindustani  and  Khorassan.     The  date  when 
the  reformer  appeared  is  very  uncertain,  but  as  no  mention  has 
been  made  of  either  Media  or  Persia  by  Zoroaster,  in  giving  the 
name  of  the  tributary  kingdoms  of  his  master  we  must  presume 
that  they  did  not  exist,  and  therefore  was  probably  previous  to 
the   foundation   of   those   monarchies.      Some   authors,   however, 
believe  there  were  two  men  of  this  name,  the  first  the  author  of 


PERSIAN  MAGI.  .  93 

the  Magian  sect,  and  who  lived  about  six  hundred  years  before 
the  second  Zoroaster,  the  reformer  mentioned  above. 

Among  all  the  ancient  nations  idolatry  took  one  of  two  forms ; 
either  the  worship  of  images  or  the  worship  of  God  in  the  form 
of  fire.  The  former  mode  of  worship  was  adopted  by  the  Chal- 
deans and  the  latter  by  the  Magi.  The  Magi  utterly  abhorred 
idolatry.  They  worshiped  fire,  looking  upon  it,  on  account  of 
its  purity,  brightness  and  incorruptibility,  as  the  most  perfect 
symbol  of  the  Deity. 

200.  In  India,  today,  in  the  province  of  Bombay,  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  richest  of  all  the  merchants  are  the  Parsees,  the  only 
remnant  of  the  ancient  Magi,  or  fire  worshipers,  that  is  to  be 
found  in  the  world.     There  they  have  lived  and  preserved  their 
religion     ever  since  the  time  of  the  second  Zoroaster,  and  there 
have  been  found,  treasured  by  them,  the  old  religious  books  of 
the  Magi,  written  in  Sanscrit,  the  oldest  and.  purest  form  of  the 
Aryan  language. 

201.  From  these  books,   the  principal   of  which   is  the  Zen- 
davesta,  we  learn  what  the  teachings  of  the  Magi  were.  The  chiet 
doctrine  was  that  there  existed  two  principles,  that  from  which 
all  good  came  and  that  from  which  came  all  evil.    The  good  god, 
represented  by  light,  was  called  Yazdan  and  Ormuzd ;  the  evil 
god,  represented  by  darkness,  Ahraman.     They  were  opposed  to 
each  other  and  would  continue  so  until  the  end  of  the  world. 
As   this  gave  two  supreme  gods,  Zoroaster,  the  Reformer,   di- 
verted such  a  catastrophe  by  asserting  that  there  was  but  one 
Supreme  Being,  independent  and  self-existing  from  all  eternity; 
that  under  Him  were  two  angels,  one  of  light,  the  author  oi 
good,  and  the  other,  darkness,  the  author  of  evil;  that  out  of 
these  two  came  all  things  that  existed;  that  they  were  In  per- 
petual struggle  with  each  other;  that  when  the  angel   of  light 
prevailed  then  good  reigned,  and  when  that  of  darkness  prevailed 
then  evil  took  place;  that  this  struggle  would  continue  until  the 
end  of  the  world;  that  then  there  would  be  a  resurrection  and 
judgment,   and  all  would   receive   rewards   according   to      their 
works.     The  angel  of  darkness  and  his  following  would  go  to  a 
world  of  their  own,  there  to  suffer  in  darkness   for  their  evil 


94  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

deeds;  the  angel  of  light  with  his  disciples  would  go  into  ever- 
lasting light  and  happiness,  and  light  and  darkness  would  mix  no 
more.  Zoroaster  reformed  the  Magian  religion  in  another  im- 
portant particular;  he  caused  temples  to  be  built,  where  the 
sacred  fires  were  carefully  and  constantly  kept  up;  a  relay  of 
priests  being  organized  for  the  purpose. 

202.  One  of  the  doctrines  of  this  reformer's   religion  is  that 
"everything  is  pure,   everything   is   holy"   and   that   a   holy   in- 
fluence was  extended  over  animals  and  things  inanimate.     This 
led  to  the  improvements  of  the  farms,  causing  thorough  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil  and  careful  gardening,  and  attention  to  the  do- 
mestic animals. 

203.  The  priestly  Magian  tribe  was  divided  into  three  orders, 
the  Herbeds  or  disciples,  the  Mobed's  or  masters,  and  the  Deslur 
Mobeds,  or  complete  or  past  masters.     They  alone  were  entitled 
to   perform   the   sacred   offices   of   religion ;   they  alone  had  the 
sacred  formulae  or  ritual  by  which  Ormuzd  was  to  be  addressed; 
they   alone    could   perform   the   ceremonies   by   which    sacrifices 
were   offered;    they  were   the   intermediaries  between   God   and 
man.    These  Magi,  or  Wise  Men,  formed  the  most  dignified  por- 
tion of  the  Court.    They  surrounded  the  King's  person  and  were 
his  sooth-sayers  and  diviners.    They  were  distinguished  by  special 
dresses,  by  the  sacred  cap,  and  by  a  bundle  of  sticks. 

The  principal  part  of  the  education  of  a  monarch  consisted  in 
being  instructed  "in  the  occult  mysteries  of  the  Magi ;"  a 
privilege  communicated  to  but  very  few  outside  of  their  own 
order,  and  these  few  were  only  the  most  highly  favored.  The 
doctrines  were  designated  as  the  "  law  of  the  Medes  and  Per- 
sians," and  contained  a  knowledge  of  all  sacred  customs,  pre- 
cepts and  usages  of  worship,  and  of  private  life,  respecting  the 
duties  which  all  were  bound  to  perform,  and  the  penalties  for 
neglecting  them.  The  Magi  were  the  ecclesiastical  judges.  They 
were  the  sole  depository  of  the  arts .  and  sciences,  and  haci 
the  sole  power  of  interpreting  dreams.  They  have  been  so  highly 
thought  of,  for  their  knowledge  and  power,  that  their  very  title 
"  Magi,"  has  passed  into  a  'set  of  classical  terms  applied  to  sor- 
cery, enchantment  and  the  occult  sciences. 


XVIIL 
"BON  MOTS";  ON  PYTHIANISM 

^  ^  W  HAVE  found  that  its  lofty  aims  and  noble  accomplish- 
I  ments  have  installed  it  in  the  loving  hearts  of  all  the 
people  wherever  it  is  known.  I  see  its  sublime  teach- 
ings spreading  to  all  quarters  of  the  globe,  carrying  with  them 
influences  that  enlighten  and  uplift.  I  behold  its  members  pro- 
mulgating and  practicing  that  friendship  which  Pythias  showed  for 
Damon,  which  the  Man  of  Galilee  held  to  all  mankind.  That 
charity  which  stretches  like  the  golden  garland  of  Sandolphin  up- 
ward along  the  ladder  of  light  from  the  discords  of  earth  to  the 
ethereal  music  of  Heaven.  That  benevolence  which  fills  the 
hours  with  words,  the  days  with  generous  deeds ;  that  loyalty 
which  stands  for  the  defense  of  the  home  circle  and  for  coun- 

try." 

C.  L.  S.  CALKINS,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  California. 

205.  "The  past  we  must  honor  and  we  may  rejoice  in  the 
prosperous  present,  but  the  work  of  our  Order  must  go  on  so  long 
as  time  shall  last.    The  need  of  good  honest  men  —  men  who  be- 
lieve in    manhood  —  men    who    know     responsibility    and     can 
assume   it,    was    never    more    apparent   than    now.      I    ask   you, 
Brother  Knights,  one  and  all,  to  put  your  shoulder  to  the  wheel 
of  the  caravan  and  push  forth  with  Pythian  determination  until 
we  have  fraternized  the  world." 

EDWARD  SCHULZE,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Connecticut. 

206.  "You,  too,  have  been  unwittingly  standard  bearers,   re- 
flecting   to    the    world    your    thoughts,    desires,    motives,    from 
which  is  judged  the  lessons  of  Pythian  Knighthood.     Our  aim, 
therefore,  should  ever  be  'To  honor  God,  to  benefit  mankind,  to 

-serve  with  lowly  gifts  the  needs  of  man.     They  who  for  love 
alone  do  this  will  win  a  name  not  only  great  but  good." 

W.  F.  ROBINSON,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Colorado. 


96  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

207.  "Our  Order  sets  a  high  standard  for  her  votaries  and  in 
the  opening  years   of  the  twentieth  century  let  us  one  and   all 
resolve  that  the  standard  shall  not  be  lowered  in   the  selection 
of  material  for  our  lodges.     Let  ivorth  and  not  numbers  be  our 
watchword." 

D.  E.  WEBER,  Past  Grand  Chancellor,  Dist.  of  Columbia. 

208.  "No  'student  of  history  has  ever  read  without  a  thrill  the 
story  'of   Damon   and   Pythias ;   the   sweet   devotion,   the   intense 
fidelity  and  the  staunch  friendship  there     recorded     stir     every 
fibre  of  the  human  heart.     Its  creed  is  that  'Everyone  can  have 
a  friend,  who,  himself,  knows  how  to  be  a  friend.'  " 

HON.  W.  G.  BRANTLEY,  Member  of  Congress  from  Georgia. 

209.  Pythiani'sm  in  Indiana.     "It  wields  a  wonderful  influence 
for  good.       We  have  45,000  members  and  $1,000,000  worth  of 
property,  but  as  great  as   it  is   I   am  convinced  that  it  has  not 
reached  its  zenith.     The  sun  is  still  in  the  eastern  hills,  for  it 
is  deep  set  in  the  brave  hearts  and  lives  of  many  men,  who,  with 
friendship's  song  on  their  lips  and  sweet  charity  in  their  hearts, 
will  carry   the  tri-colored  banner  on  and   on   until  the  highest 
summit  of  Pythian  greatness  is  reached/' 

DANIEL  E.  STORMS,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Indiana. 

210.  "One  of  rny  chief  pleasures  has  been  to  meet  with  and 
cultivate  the   friendship  of  the   real  Knight   of   Pythias,   and  in 
whatever  walk  of  life  he  is  found,  whatever  his  profession  or 
creed,  and  wherever  we  met  him,  the  great  big  heart  was  in  the 
right  place,  his   face  was  wreathed  in  smiles,  and  his  hand  al- 
ways extended  in  Charity." 

MARTIN  YEWEUV,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  o-f  Kentucky. 

211.  "Great  is  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias,  teaching,  as 
it  does,  those  lessons  that  make  all  'men  brothers,  a   fraternity 
that,   in  sickness   and   sorrow,   in   distress   and   death,   comes   to 
lighten   the   dark  places   in   the   lives   of  men,   that   reaches   out 
its  hands  to  cheer  the   sorrowful  and  scatter  the     cares     that 
cluster  around  the  brow  of  distress." 

E.  E.  MURPHY,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Kansas. 


BON  MOTS.  97 

212.  "Every  lesson  of  the  fraternity  reveals  whose  perform- 
ance will  help  to  solve  some  of  humanity's  problems,  will  help 
to  solve  some  of  the  dangers  that  lurk  in  our  social  and  political 
life.     Thus   it   becomes    a   healing   influence,   struggling   side   by 
side  with  the  church,  the  school  and  the  press  to  elevate  charac- 
ter,  to  exalt  public  opinion,   to   stimulate  the   masses   to   higher 
works,  to  unify  the  race." 

F.  L.  SCHAFFNER,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Manitoba. 

213.  "In  this  age  of  Fraternal   Orders   each  is  measured  by 
the   personnel   of   its    membership    and   its    efforts    for   good   as 
viewed  by  the  outer  world.     It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  the 
acts  of  the  individual   members   have  a   powerful   influence   for 
or  against  the  future  prosperity  of  the  order,  and  for  this  reason 
our  every  act  should  be  above  reproach,  so  that  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  a  Pythian  is  the  soul  of  honor." 

J.  D.  CORNEIX,  Past  Grand  Chancellor  of  Washington. 

214.  "The  Order  of     Knights  of  Pythias  was  founded  by  an 
American  and  originated  on  American  soil.    The  ties  which  unite 
our  brother  Knights  of  other  states  with  those  of  our  own  state 
lodges  are  productive  of  love  for  American  institutions,  as  well 
as  a  fraternal  regard  for  all  American  institutions,  irrespective 
of  membership,  and  tend  to  establish  a  true  American  brother- 
hood. 

"  True  patriotism  is  enchanced  by  the  principles  which  underlie 
Pythian  fraternity.  That  fraternity  which  astounded  the  tyrant 
of  Syracuse  by  the  self-sacrificing  friendship  of  Damon  and 
Pythias  is  as  realizable  among  Americans  today  as  it  was  in  the 
time  of  the  ancient  Syracusans.  The  history  of  the  growth  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  from  the  time  of  its  noble  founder  to  the 
present,  is  marked  by  instances  of  heroism.  Obedient  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  order,  and  remembering  the  significance  of  the 
words,  Friendship,  Charity  and  Benevolence,  our  Pythian 
Knights  can  recall  self-sacrifices  of  its  members  unrivalled  in 
the  days  of  chivalry,  for  true  manhood  is  in  all  ages  true 
knighthood. 

"The  history  of  the  order     is     replete     with     unselfish     and 


98  PYTHIAN  SKETCHES. 

courageous  deeds,  where  brother  Knights  have  braved  ti.e  perils 
of  malignant  epidemic  diseases,  and  have  fallen  victims  by  the 
bedside  of  brother  Knights  and  their  families.  Such  grand  ex- 
amples bring  out  the  best  qualities  of  American  manhood. 
They  teach  charity  and  good  will  to  the  suffering  strangers,  as 
well  as  to  the  unfortunate  Knights.  They  teach  us  that  life  has 
a  higher  aim  than  personal  gratification,  and  that  our  lives  are 
well  worth  the  living  for  the  benefit  of  posterity,  if  in  part  de- 
voted to  the  alleviation  of  distress." 

HENRY  T.  GAGE,  Ex-Governor  of  California. 

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